Volume One: Secrets of the Dragon Flame
by gins-potter
Summary: Bloom Peters thought she was an ordinary teenager until she's thrown into a world full of fairies, witches, heroes, and magical creatures. Now she has to navigate a whole new world juggling magical classes, a trio of witches who seem out to get her as well as ordinary stuff like new friendships and hot guys. And she thought turning 16 was going to be boring. A Winx club retelling.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! I'm Jess and I'm really excited to be starting this project.**

 **If this looks/sounds familiar that's because it probably is. After two attempts of posting this (with mildly successful results) I'm hoping the third time will be the charm.**

 **The reason I'm writing this is because I love winx club, I grew up watching it and if I'm being honest I still love it now. But let's be real the dialogue can be cringy sometimes and the romance isn't up to what teen audiences enjoy. I know there are other fics out there like this, but I'd thought I'd try my hand at it.**

 **So some housekeeping things:**

 **\- It will be a mixture of 4kids and RAI dialogue/storyline. While I grew up watching 4kids, I know that RAI kept to the original source a lot closer so I'll be doing a mixture to keep everyone happy.**

 **\- I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post. I usually like to keep a couple of chapters on deck and tend to post whenever I finish a new chapter. If this is confusing think of it like this: I'm posting chapter one today but I'm up to writing chapter five.**

 **\- No flames or trolls please. I LOVE constructive criticism but let's be real I'm not going to be able to please everyone and if I write something you don't like, take a moment to think before you comment. Maybe this fic won't be for you, there's plenty out there to keep you happy. BUT if you think you can comment without being nasty please, please, please, come talk to me... I love a good debate.**

 **Ok I think that's it, I'll update you via notes as we go and the tags/rating may change depending on where I go with this story. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

It was sweltering. That was the only thought that passed through Bloom's sleep addled brain as she opened her eyes with a groan and unwillingly dragged herself from the sweet bliss of unconsciousness and into the muggy air of her dark room. It was hot and too early to be awake, she decided, rolling over and burying her face back into the pillow. But now all she could feel was the fabric uncomfortably warm beneath her cheek and she was too aware of the sheets sticking to her sweaty skin to get back to sleep. She groaned and reached blindly for the mobile on her nightstand.

It was mostly habit that had her clicking on the screen to check the time and her messages simultaneously. One was surprising, one was not. The lack of messages unfortunately did not surprise her in the least, although she couldn't say that it still didn't sting a little. But the time _was_ a surprise; twelve o'clock and all Bloom could wonder was why hadn't her mother come in to chide her about wasting away another precious summer day or at least wake her before she'd left for the store. Figuring if it wasn't too early for such mysteries and definitely too hot, Bloom let it go and rolled onto her back, phone sliding from her hand and screen blinking back to black as it was neglected.

Neglect. It was the exact reason why Bloom didn't have any messages filling her phone screen from her friends, inviting her down to the beach or to a day at the mall. She'd seen them a little at the beginning of the summer, when the novelty of freedom hadn't yet worn off but those times had come and gone and eventually when Bloom had lost interest in doing the same sort of thing everyday, they'd stopped bothering to call at all. Bloom didn't take it personally; she knew they would be there after all, when they all returned to school, with a familiar eye roll and "what _happened_ to you, Bloom?"

Thinking of this and the hours of the day still left stretching out before her, she rolled out of bed with a cacophony of reluctant noises, eyes catching on the calendar which was slowly but surely counting down the days before she went back to school a date that lay a mere week away. She shot it a particularly distasteful glare and set about getting ready for the day.

If Bloom had thought inside was hot, she was not prepared for the summer sun beating down on the brave citizens who dared the streets of Gardenia. As midday turned into afternoon Bloom joined the deserted streets, scooping up her bet bunny to bring along with her for a ride around town.

Her friends had been surprised at her excitement when she'd shown them the cherry rd bicycle that had been a surprise gift from her father, Mike. She knew that many of her other classmates would oon be buying and receiving cars as they each turned sixteen and got their licenses but Bloom couldn't bring herself to care. She loved the bike.

She found herself wishing however that the bike came with air-conditioning and shade as she pedalled along, sparing a hand occasionally to shield her eyes from the sun. Sweet trickled down her back as her muscles burned with the effort and Bloom knew she'd most likely be soaked by the time she got to the park but there was there was a sense of accomplishment as she moved; the feeling of the warm wind blowing back her hair, and the strain in her legs.

A familiar face grinned at her from under the shade of a storefront as she rolled down the main street. Mr Genero, the fruit shop owner was leaning lazily against a display of watermelons, watching her approach. As he reached up to wipe the sweat away from his brow he gave her a wave and called out a greeting.

"Hot enough for ya, love? Make sure to say hello to your mother for me."

She shot a grin of her own over her shoulder as she passed him. "Will do, Mr Genero."

Bloom pulled out onto the road to cross the street, dodging cars and the rare pedestrian expertly, all the while keeping an eye on her bunny in the basket on the front of her bike, who was dozing in what shade he could find. She'd had Kiko since she was in middle school and he was the closest thing she had to a best friend.

If you were to ask her, the sixteen year old would most likely say that her life was ordinary enough. According to her, she was just another face in the crowd of teenagers that filled the halls of her school. Gardenia, the small coastal town in which she'd been brought up was small enough that everyone knew just about everyone else but was a popular tourist destination with it's pretty beaches and city just a half hour drive away.

Bloom's life was simple and - in her opinion - just a little bit boring. She had two adoring parents whose sizable incomes allowed her a nice home and a comfortable life. Sometimes she thought the most interesting thing about her was the fact that she was adopted, and even then that was nowhere near as exciting as anyone ever thought. It was something she supposed she should be grateful for, having a life that she knew even some of her classmates would kill for. But she couldn't help it if sometimes she longed for something, some small event or firework that would break the monotony that was her life.

She could have no way of knowing, you understand, that she was so much _more_ than she knew, and had already been put through more than others faced in a lifetime, or even that that small spark she was waiting for was just around the corner.

Before long she had made it to the park, finding solace from the searing sun under the canopy of tree branches. Bloom hopped from her bike as she entered the park gates, wary of the runners and stray children on the track and wheeled it along instead, using a free hand to scoop Kiko from the basket and deposit him on the ground. He skittered around her feet for a few moments, snuffling around in the leaves before bounding off.

Keeping an eye on him to make sure he didn't wander too far, Bloom found herself a solid tree nearby to lean her bike up against before sliding to the ground to sit, leaning up against it. Reaching up with one hand she withdrew the apple she had brought with her and took a bite from the shiny red skin. She'd brought a sketchpad along with her as well but for the moment she was content to simply sit and enjoy the cool shade and the crisp taste of her snack.

She was almost halfway through her apple before Kiko came scurrying back to her, little noises of distress emanating from him. Lazy from the afternoon heat, Bloom blinked down at him slowly.

"What, did you see one of those scary squirrels again?" she joked.

Her amusement faded however when Kiko began to nibble insistently at the leg of her jeans and she noticed that he was shaking. Bloom scooped up the shivering rabbit and held him close to her chest, wandering off in the direction he'd come from, not motivated to hurry after the long bike ride despite Kiko's fear. She wove between the trees wondering idly what she was supposed to be looking for, not noticing as she got further and further away from the few others populating the park. As she moved deeper into the forest, the trees got closer together and the light receded as the canopy grew thicker overhead.

Then a shout sounded in the distance, freezing Bloom in place for a moment as she decided whether she should turn back or see what was going on. Finally her morality won out and she crept on, reasoning that if someone was in trouble she couldn't just turn around and leave them. Up ahead the trees began to thin and a large sunlit clearing sat, which Bloom headed towards curiously. She ducked behind a tree instincitvely however when she heard another shout followed by a grunt of exertion.

"Back off," she heard an unfamiliar voice shout suddenly, causing her to start violently. Her hand shot to immediately to the phone in her pocket, wondering if someone was in trouble and needed the police.

While her hand hovered hesitantly over the outline of her phone in her jeans pocket she couldn't help but peer out from behind the tree just in time to see an orange boot connect with a small, strange creature, unlike anything Bloom had seen before. The boots looked heavy and were certainly dangerous if the way they sent the creature sprawling was anything to go by.

Bloom's eyes travelled up the boots and the long tanned legs they belonged to and scanned all the way up to the face face girl who couldn't be much older than she was. At first glance, Bloom would have said that the girl would have fit right in, in the small California town; she was all tanned skin, long blonde hair and exposed midriff. Then Bloom took a second look and realised that was where the similarities stopped. Her clothes weren't all that unusual, small orange shorts and a tiny tank top that showed the teenager's midriff, and would not have been all that out of the place in the summer weather; it was the way they sparkled unnaturally when she moved, as though someone had scooped up all the stars of the night sky and used them in her outfit. Mostly though, it was the long, thin sceptre the girl clutched like a weapon and the small pair of wings that sat between the girl's shoulder blades.

"What the _hell?"_ Bloom muttered out loud but internally she was already rationalising what she was seeing. Convinced it was some performance or cosplaying event Bloom watched as the girl, unaware of her audience continued to battle the small creatures that were leaping at her.

She obviously had done this before, her feet were sure as she moved, the muscles of her thighs and arms bunched and shifted with power and her hits struck home everytime. And she wasn't at all put off by the _things_ she was fighting against unlike Bloom who at the mere sight of them felt her mouth go dry and shied away. She didn't even know what to call them, the only word coming to mind being 'ghoul'. They were small but spindly creatures, their skin tough and leathery and covered in bumps and their eyes were little and mean, shining with malice as they took in their opponent.

Then the girl did something that even Bloom couldn't explain away: she lifted a hand calmly and pointed it at the nearest approaching ghoul and commanded in a loud voice, " _Rising Sun Burst!"_ an eruption of blinding light seemingly coming from her very palm.

Bloom jerked away and covered her face instinctively but she still caught sight of the other-wordly light and black spots covered her vision for a few moments. Finally they cleared but she didn't look back at the sight but turned back to the forest that lead the way back to her bike and apparently her sanity.

"Fairies aren't real," she gritted out between her teeth, pinching herself, hard, and she half expected to wake up in her bed. But nothing changed and she remained standing in the forest, sounds of the battle at hr back and trying to come up with an excuse, any excuse to explain what she'd just seen. But nothing came to mind and clenching her jaw she reluctantly turned back to the fight.

And her eyes immediately fell on a great hulking figure standing in the shadows at the other side of the clearing. He had to be twice as Bloom was tall and almost four times as wide. But the girl didn't seem to notice him as she snarled at the creatures and continued to use her fists and knees to batter back the growling ghouls.

Two of them snarled viciously and started to advance on her but surprisingly the girl merely closed her eyes like she was concentrating hard. Bloom was about to call out a warning because fairy or not, real or fake, those things looked dangerous and were getting closer by the minute. But then the girl began to emit a soft light that surrounded her from the toes of her orange boots to the tips of her long blonde hair and the words stuck in Bloom's throat. Because there was something so otherworldly about her, something so completely _other_ about her that Bloom somehow knew that this couldn't be a trick. She raised her sceptre above her head, both hands clutched around it tightly, and a sudden wind swept up from nowhere blowing the teenager's hair around.

" _Solar Wind Blast,"_ she declared bringing her sceptre down with a bang that shouldn't have been possible given the grass underfoot. Sparks exploded from where the sceptre had hit the ground, sending the little ghouls flying in all directions, landing with painful looking thumps. One however zipped straight towards the huge figure and with a speed that was surprising for such a large figure, a hand shot out to catch it. It's fury was evident as the giant hand - larger than Bloom's head - squeezed the struggling creature, crushing it until it exploded with a yelp.

Bloom swallowed roughly. Up until then it had all been a harmless trick playing with her eyes and her mind but now it was clear there was more at stake than just her sanity and Bloom wasn't planning on sticking around if it meant ending up like that ghoul. She took a step back, straight onto a twig that cracked under her weight with a loud snap. Grimacing Bloom glanced worriedly back to the clearing, hoping she hadn't been heard.

The figure had emerged from the shadows with an angry grunt revealing that he was not a man as Bloom had assumed but a ginormous and horrific yellow ogre, with arms and legs as thick as tree trunks and mean eyes that glowed slightly. His skin was as leathry as the ghouls he was surrounded by and Bloom caught a whiff of a disgusting odour. Thankfully he wore a pair of tatty and dirty overalls.

The fairy however didn't look phased at all as she scanned his form up and down coolly. "Now that's a face only a mother could love," she quipped, throwing her sceptre from hand to hand casually. "Ready to kneel before the power of Solaria?"

Solaria? Bloom had never heard the term before, though if she had to guess it sounded like it might be a place, but she had long since stopped trying to see the logic in the scene before her.

The ogre, obviously enraged by the girl's flippancy burst into a run, heavy footfalls seeming to make the very ground tremble. The girl didn't so much as flinch however, though Bloom did see her tawny eyes narrow threateningly.

"You're the one who's going to get flattened, Princess," the ogre rasped, voice hoarse and little more than a grunt. Again his speed surprised Bloom, and the other girl must have been similarly caught off guard because as they collided Bloom saw her flinch for the first time and she was sent sprawling backwards. She waited with bated breath for the girl to get back up, to laugh and declare the game over, for them to reveal that they were simply human. But none of that happened as the ghouls crept towards the girl's stunned form, surrounding her.

The ogre laughed menacingly, glaring down at the cowering girl. "You're finished little fairy."

"Oh shit," Bloom muttered dancing from foot to foot, caught between wanting to run and save her herself and helping the poor girl. Even if she stayed though, Bloom had doubts whether she could do anything useful anyway. If the girl - because Bloom still refused to even consider the word fairy - had been knocked around like that, Bloom didn't stand much chance.

"Bring me her sceptre," the ogre grunted and on his order the ghouls advanced, little yellow eyes narrowing fiercely. They pinned the girl's arms and legs to the ground and Bloom shuddered imagining what their claws would feel like.

The girl struggled against her restraints, yelling at the ogre. "I'm warning you," she spat, eyes dark with fury. "You'll never get away with this." A ghoul growled back threateningly and grabbed the blue sceptre from the foliage beside the girl and took it to it's master.

The ogre snorted, a disgusting sound that had Bloom shuddering yet again. "I think I just did," he said nastily. "Your sceptre's mine now. And if you're not careful you'll be history soon enough." With four precise steps the ogre stalked forward and bent down, putting them face to face.

The girl laughed, trying to seem casual but even Bloom could see the fear in her eyes. "Stealing my sceptre would be one thing. But you really think you could kill _me_ and not bring the power of Solaria down on your pathetic, miserable life?" she snarled.

Upon hearing that Bloom knew she had to act. No matter how scared she was, or how a small part of her still clung to the belief that this was all fake or a dream, she knew she couldn't just stand by if there was even a chance the girl might get hurt. So she put Kiko down on a nearby tree stump and mouth dry and heart thudding in her ears she stepped from behind the tree and into the clearing.

"Hey!" she called, ignoring how her voice wavered and her stomach rolled. "I don't know what the hell this is, or what you're doing but you'd better leave her alone right now!"

All eyes turned on her and Bloom fought against the instinct to turn tail and run back into the forest. Hope flared momentarily in the girl's brown eyes but she didn't say anything. The ogre slowly straightened and pinned her in place with a furious gaze.

"Oh yeah?" he taunted in his hoarse, rasping voice. He grinned threateningly, showing rows of brown teeth and Bloom's stomach lurched. "And how are you going to make me do that?"

"I've called the police," Bloom lied desperately, wishing she'd had the forethought to actually do it. "They'll be here any second."

But that just made the ogre laugh and the momentary hope in the girl's eyes dimmed.

"Human police," the ogre cackled. "I'm _so_ scared!"

"Get out of here!" the girl suddenly yelled, eyes full of sympathy - for her, Bloom realised with a jolt, because the girl was worried about _her_ \- before the ogre was turning, mirth gone now and kicking her hard in the ribs to shut her up. He needn't have worried though because Bloom wasn't going anywhere. She wasn't going to abandon that girl.

Even as the ogre came striding towards her and every instinct in her body screamed at her to run Bloom held her ground. She only let out a gasp of fear before that gigantic hand was back and swinging out to grab her arms, hoisting her in the air. Bloom went kicking and screaming, legs flying out to try and pummel the ogre's tough skin.

"You should learn to mind your own business," he advised, spit flying from his mouth and making Bloom cringe away. "Or one day something meaner than me is going to find you and do things that you don't even want to imagine. Or maybe," he continued, considering now. "You won't even make it that far. Me and my ghouls are very hungry, you know."

Bloom continued to squirm, closing her eyes and trying not to imagine what it would do to her parents if she were to go missing. But it was no use and all she could see was their worried faces as they waited for her to get home that night, their distress as they called everyone in town and then finally the police, their hopefulness as they looked for a daughter who was never coming home to them. As the images passed through her brain like a movie demanding her attention she could feel something building in the pit of her stomach, boiling and bubbling before finally as she imagined them finally giving up hope the feeling burst from her along with a surge of white-hot energy, consuming her and everyone around her.

Bloom didn't know how much time had passed before she was finally able to open her eyes, but the sun was still in the sky, her throat felt raw as though she had been yelling, her hands were tingling, and the ogre were nowhere in sight.

Bloom didn't have time to analyse what had just happened because the ghouls might have been down but they certainly weren't out and two of them were running at her. It was pure instinct that had her raising her hands hoping that the strange energy would make another appearance. No such luck and she was forced to take them down the old fashioned way with a nearby branch.

Having proven herself as a force to be reckoned with the rest of the ghouls were smart enough to keep their distance and with the ogre still down for the count, the stranger stumbled to her feet, sweeping her fallen sceptre off the ground as she went. She made her way over to a panting Bloom, who was still holding up her branch ready to strike. She didn't think that the girl would hurt her but it was better to be safe than sorry. A pain-filled smile spread across the stranger's face, though it looked more like a grimace, as she limped closer.

"Wow, and to think I thought you were a human. Nice going with that ogre by the way."

Bloom frowned. "But- but I am a human. You aren't…?"

It was the girl's turn to frown in confusion but before they could interrogate each other, the ogre was lumbering to his feet, chuckling darkly. The stranger glared back, cast Bloom a protective glance before stepping in front of her and slipping into a defensive crouch. But from the weary set of her shoulders and her laboured panting Bloom could tell the girl was exhausted from the fight and what little energy she had was slipping away fast. Bloom readied her branch.

"Laugh all you want," the girl sneered. "You're going down." Without any warning, a light appeared from the gem set into the circle of her sceptre, blasting the ogre back off his feet. "I suggest you get the hell out of this realm," she continued, trying to sound fierce despite her exhaustion.

Her attention was firmly fixed on the ogre which was how she didn't see the ghouls which were sneaking around behind her unguarded back. Luckily for her, Bloom caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, and spun around, putting her back to back with the stranger even though Bloom wasn't sure she could completely trust her; the girl seemed like the lesser of two evils in the moment. The position meant she could feel the girl's wings against her own back; they were silky but sturdy, a contrast that sent shivers down Bloom's back. She tried not to think about how weird this all was and focussed on the ghouls.

"Incoming," Bloom said, nudging at the girl's ribs.

The girl glanced around and leapt into action, swiping her sceptre through the air, making the ghouls disappear. Despite her weary smile, she twirled her sceptre around triumphantly. Unfortunately neither of them noticed the final ghoul that had escaped her attack and was leaping towards Bloom. It's mouth closed around her ankle and pain exploded up her leg as it's teeth bit in deeply. The girl held up her hand like she was readying herself to blast it away while Bloom shook her leg frantically but before either of them could do anything further the ghoul ripped itself away, taking a large chunk of Bloom's leg with it and scampered back to it's master.

The ogre had gotten to his feet once more but didn't attack as a purple light slowly enveloped him, his final word echoing around the glade as he disappeared. "Don't think this is over, Princess Stella. I'll be back and then your sceptre will be mine."

The girl - Princess Stella - swayed slightly on the spot. "Can't say I'm looking forward to that," she murmured as if the snarky response was instinctual before dropping to the ground with a soft "oh".

Bloom dropped to her knees and hurriedly turned the girl over. The girl's - Stella, Bloom thought firmly - tanned skin had paled and was littered with bruises, scratches, and bite marks that Bloom hadn't noticed before. Evidently the adrenaline that had been keeping her on her feet was gone and exhaustion had taken it's place.

Between one blink of her eyes and the next the girl's clothing changed from the glimmering top and shorts combo to a different midriff and maxi skirt with wedge heels, an outfit that looked like it would fit in on the runways of fashion week rather than the streets of Gardenia. Her precious sceptre was now strapped to her back and her headband had transformed into a small platinum tiara. Given all the odd things Bloom had seen in the past half hour or so this sudden change of clothing didn't even phase her.

Bloom shook the Princess, not bothering to be gentle about it before dropping her head to the girl's chest to make sure she was still breathing. Only when she heard the familiar, comforting thud of the Princess' heart did she sit back on her heels thinking. She could feel the panic beginning to set in; she'd just witnessed a fight between _not-a-fairy_ and _definitely-not-an-ogre-and-his-ghoul-minions_ and now had an unconscious girl on her hands. How the hell had she'd gotten herself into this situation? She'd buried her face in her hands and was trying to think of what to do when she felt a nose poke her and sniffle. Bloom peeled her hands away to glance at Kiko and patted at his warm fur.

"What do you think?" She didn't usually talk to Kiko, at least not in public, but Bloom felt the situation warranted it.

The bunny scurried over and sniffed at the oblivious girl before promptly curling into a ball without a noise.

"Well, you're a lot of help," Bloom huffed, blowing hair out of her face.

Her eyes roved over the unconscious girl, the long orange skirt, the blue straps that circled her slim waist, the matching top, and most importantly the tiara sitting atop those golden locks.

"You are not a fairy," she said determinedly. It was the first time she'd said the word aloud and it sounded just as ridiculous as she'd feared. "You are not a princess," she continued but the gi- Stella just slept on oblivious. "You are a normal girl, just like me. Because I am just an ordinary girl who certainly did not use any powers at all today, no matter what it felt like, oh my god!" She was panting by the end of her tirade and Bloom scrubbed a hand over her eyes. "Ok, focus Bloom. Focus on what you know for sure."

And what she knew for sure was that even though she didn't know the girl in the slightest, she couldn't just leave her alone and unconscious in the park as the sun started to set. She knew for sure that she would have to get her home where the girl could sleep the battle off and then explain exactly what the hell Bloom had just witnessed.

Before she went anywhere however, Bloom knew that she had to take a look at her ankle which was still stinging painfully. She rolled up her jeans, tried not to mourn the rip in the leg, and took a look at the bite. It was deep certainly and would probably take a few weeks to heal completely but otherwise didn't look too bad and not unlike a dog bite. She made a note to ask Stella when the girl woke up if she should be worried and to put some antiseptic on it when she got home. She tugged her pant leg back down and set about getting the unconscious girl upright and back to her house.

It was an agonisingly long process, keeping the barely conscious girl upright as they both stumbled from exhaustion. They'd only just reached Bloom's bike again when she noticed that the sun was hovering dangerously close to the horizon. She leant the Princess against the tree, who slumped over with nothing more than a quiet whine and dug her phone out of her pocket, shooting off a quick text to her parents, saying that she had been hanging out with someone (not a lie) and that she was on her way home (not a lie) but would probably be home late (not a lie). She hated not being entirely truthful with them but figured whatever this was, it was probably best talked about in person, if at all. Bloom could only hope they were in bed by the time she got the Princess back to her house.

"Come on, uh- Princess?" she murmured, tugging the semi-conscious teenager away from the tree and looping a arm back around her waist.

"But mum, I don't wanna go to school today," she mumbled, leaning heavily against Bloom, who was struggling with the combined weight of the girl and the challenge of guiding her bike along with only one hand. She huffed a tired laugh at the Princess, continued out the gate of the deserted park and tried to ignore the looks she was receiving from nearby pedestrians.

By the time she was halfway home Bloom no longer felt like laughing. The girl was definitely not getting any lighter and the bike was being difficult, not going in a straight line for more than a few seconds at a time. She passed Mr Genero who looked at them worriedly as he packed away the leftover fruit.

"You alright there, Bloom?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Bloom said, trying not to pant and hoping that he wouldn't be able to see either of their cuts and bruises in the dim light. "My friend isn't feeling the best, heat stroke I think but she'll be alright. Almost home now and then she can lie down."

Mr Genero didn't look convinced. "You don't look so good either Bloom. Is your ankle alright?"

"Fine, just fine," Bloom gasped, trying not to limp and hurried on before he could ask any more questions.

It took a while but Bloom finally made it home after the long journey. The air had grown cold and both girls were stumbling over the uneven pavement in the darkness. She let herself into the house flicking on the hall light as she went, taking it that her parents were asleep from the silence in the house. She laid the weak girl down on the bed in the spare room, carefully pulled off her shoes and tucked her in under the covers. Bloom watched the girl for a long moment just to make sure she was alright but the girl just turned over and fell back asleep so Bloom made her way back to the kitchen to scarf down the dinner her mother had left out for her.

Now that she didn't have the Princess' unrelenting weight on her shoulder she could further analyse the strange scene that she had witnessed. One part of her was steadfastly refusing to believe that something supernatural had occurred at the park despite everything she'd seen and heard but for the rest of her, well it was getting harder and harder to ignore the inevitable.

Suddenly unbearably tired Bloom finished her dinner, cleared away the dishes and returned to her room, moving quietly through the house. She got dressed quickly into her pyjamas and stumbled towards her bed, retrieving one of her favourite books from her childhood from the shelf as she passed. It was coated in a thin layer of dust - a testament to how long it had been since she'd read it - which Bloom wiped away. Dropping onto her bed was a relief on her tired muscles and Bloom thumbed through the thick book on fairies, trying not to yawn.

Finally she found the page she was looking for; a detailed drawing of a fairy. It was hard not to draw parallels between the drawing on the page and the girl she'd met in the park. While the girl in the book had big, flimsy butterfly-like wings, bright with colour, Stella's had been smaller, transparent but glittering and much stronger-looking. And where Stella had been wearing simple aero-dynamic clothing that hadn't inhabited her movements or flight the fairy in the book wore long skirts and billowing tops and scarves that had to get in the way and flowers woven into her floor length hair.

In her exhausted state Bloom allowed herself to think, just for a second that Stella might just be the supernatural creature that she'd been denying all afternoon long. Bloom wanted to stay up and read more of her book but before long her eyelids were drooping and staying shut for longer and longer, and soon enough the book had slipped from her hand and she'd given in to the persuasive pull of sleep.

* * *

Bloom woke to the clattering of her mother, Vanessa drawing the curtains open and letting the sunlight spill into the room. She yawned and stretched as Vanessa puttered about, tutting at the dirty laundry decorating the floor and the discarded plates and cups Bloom taken out to the kitchen yet. Bloom took in her surroundings sleepily and smiled; the dream she'd been having had been an odd but a good one, and so vivid.

"I had the strangest dream," she told Vanessa, who was frowning down at the book lying carelessly beside her daughter's bed. It was an old one that she hadn't seen Bloom read in years. Vanessa picked it up, closed it and set it carefully down on Bloom's desk.

"Oh?" she heard Vanessa respond. "Does it happen to have anything to do with the girl downstairs in the guest room?"

Bloom's eyes flew open and she jerked upright with a gasp. She'd been so sure it had been a strange dream she'd thought up in her unconscious but if Stella was still downstairs and yesterday had actually happened - Bloom checked her calendar to confirm, then…

She glanced at Vanessa with a sly smile. "I can explain?" she tried hopefully.

Vanessa arched a dark eyebrow and hummed, but there was a small smile playing around her mouth. "You'd better hope you can. Breakfast will be ready in ten," she said and left the room without another word.

Ten minutes later exactly, Bloom was hurrying down the stairs and after poking her head into the guest room to make sure Stella was still asleep, sliding into her place at the table. She started scooping scrambled eggs and rashers of bacon on her plate but paused when she felt two pairs of impatient eyes on her. She glanced up to find her parents looking at her expectantly.

"What?" she asked innocently, setting the pan of bacon back down.

Vanessa fought down a smile. "Bloom."

Bloom blinked. "Oh right, the girl." Bloom racked her brains. "Well you see… the thing is, I guess…." Finally she decided that the truth, or as close as she could get was the best way to go. "Ok, I met her yesterday in the park," Bloom said slowly.

"Oh jeez," Mike groaned while Vanessa looked scandalised and glanced down the hall towards the guest room.

"Bloom!"

"And she just looked really lost and had been through alot," Bloom continued hurriedly. "And I figured it was getting late so I'd let her crash here and work out what to do in the morning."

"Bloom!" Vanessa sighed again.

"What?" Bloom sighed back. "You're always telling me to think of my fellow neighbour and how I can help them."

"Not by inviting a stranger into our home without telling us," Mike sighed.

"I'm sorry ok," Bloom conceded. "But I didn't know what else to do and I couldn't just leave her there."

"It's alright, Bloom," Vanessa said after a moment, her eyes still on the hallway, though now they were soft and sympathetic. "Poor dear," she murmured. Then her eyes slid back to Bloom and they were stern once more. "When she wakes up I want to talk to her and ring her parents to make sure they know where she is." Bloom nodded, knowing better to argue. " _And_ , you're getting the groceries this morning."

"Yes, Mum," Bloom replied meekly, knowing she'd gotten off easy.

Bloom rushed through the rest of her breakfast and ran from the house, wanting to get through the shopping as quickly as she could in case Stella woke up while she was gone and told her parents anything strange.

After a quick shop in the local supermarket, Bloom rode home slowly, careful of the bags hanging from her handlebars and Kiko in her basket. She glanced at her hands and frowned; she hadn't felt anything resembling the white hot energy of the day before and she didn't even know what to call _that._ Bloom sighed and pedalled on, eyes fixed firmly ahead.

She wasn't far from home when a nasally voice caught her attention. "Hey Bloom! Isn't it time to sell that two-wheeled relic to the junk pile?"

Bloom stiffened at the familiar voice and she slowly rolled to a stop, reluctantly glancing over her shoulder to see the sneering face of Mitzi Gaynor, leaning against a nearby fence. Mitzi and Bloom had never gotten along, mostly attributed to Mitzi's snobbish attitude and social ambition and Bloom's inability to care about her own social standing.

"There's nothing wrong with this bike," Bloom said tightly.

Mitzi pushed away from the wall and stalked towards her, looking uncannily like a tiger creeping towards it's prey. Mitzi faked a sympathetic look over her sunglasses. "Oh you poor girl. Of course, I don't mean poor as in not rich," she scoffed. "Not that you wouldn't think that with the way you dress," she continued with a sneer at Bloom's ratty jeans and well-worn converses.

Bloom's hands clenched into fists in anger but she refused to do anything stupid knowing it would just give Mitzi the satisfaction of seeing her snap. The teenager glanced over at her shoulder at two men lowering a shiny scooter onto the pavement outside Mitzi's house.

"Hey, careful with that!" she shrieked, striding off towards them and leaving Bloom without so much as a goodbye. "It's brand new, you know." The shrill tone of her voice made Bloom wince.

"Well, see you later Mitzi," Bloom said, forcing politeness and she took off on her bike before Mitzi could respond.

The ogre knew he was in trouble well before he stumbled into the misty clearing in the forest. He could heard other dark creatures prowling around nearby but that wasn't his concern. It was his mistresses that he really had to be wary of. He couldn't see them yet but that didn't necessarily mean they weren't there; sometimes he thought there was little they liked more than torturing him, aside from taking over the world that is. He waited an agonising five minutes before finally a voice spoke from the shadows.

"You seem to have failed us yet again, Knut." Her voice was a cold drawl but Knut knew that it was only the calm before the storm. Out of nowhere a sharp talon of a nail traced down his wide cheek, deceptively soft, though the woman's face remained in the shadows and it took all Knut had not to shrink back from the touch. Her next words were a harsh snarl, as expected, punctuated by those nails suddenly digging in. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I tried my best," he rasped, fighting the urge to jerk back from the pain. "I was so close this time, I swear."

Thankfully the nails withdrew and their owner prowled around him. "Really?" Knut wanted to shrink away from the voice but it was impossible to know where it was coming from know, she seemed to surround him.

"Then this human interrupted and- and I got distracted-"

"Did you just say human?" The tone was silky soft and oh so dangerous and, warning Knut to tread very carefully with his next words.

"Tell me he didn't," a second voice put in before Knut could explain and he shuddered, realising that all three of them were there.

"She wasn't an ordinary human. She had magic."

A third voice joined the conversation for the first time. "Knut, I understand that you barely have two brain cells to rub together but even you should know that humans _don't have magic_!" she said, ending in a screech that sent a nearby cluster of bats into the air in surprise.

"But she did I swear. She sent an energy blast that almost knocked me into another dimension."

The voices still didn't seem to believe him but they moved on regardless.

"Did you at least get a good look at her?" the first voice finally asked with a sigh.

Knut racked his brains trying to think in the blur of energy blasts and ghouls. "She had real pale skin," he said. "And bright red hair. And she was about sixteen years old."

"And you just described thousands of people on earth! How are we supposed to find her?!"

"Oh, I've already sorta started thinking of a plan," he grunted carefully, knowing that if they didn't like it they could make his life even more miserable than they already did. He pulled a piece of pant leg from his pocket and held it up or the three women to see. "One of my ghouls gabbed this. It's a piece of the human's pants and if we give it to a hunter troll, he'll be able to track her down."

There was a long pause as his three mistresses considered and Knut waited in nervous silence.

"Very well," the first voice finally said. "Go and find that meddling human and bring her _and_ the sceptre back to us. And I swear, Knut, if you fail again…" She didn't finished the threat knowing that whatever Knut could imagine up in the silence would terrify him just as anything she could say would.

"Of course," he gasped. "Thank you, Mistresses." He bowed deeply before hurrying from the clearing.

The conversation when Stella - and she'd insisted on Stella and not _Princess_ \- finally woke up went just about how Bloom was expecting and was received just as well as she was expecting by her parents. She sighed and glanced out the window, watching the sun sink below the horizon while she tried to ignore the throbbing headache pounding at her temples. Stella had slept right through the day, neither Bloom nor her parents wanting to wake the obviously exhausted girl.

"So you've been asleep all day because you're a fairy and you were healing from a battle you had with an ogre in the park?" Mike was saying kindly, but Bloom could hear the concern and disbelief underneath. "Don't you think that's all a little tough to swallow, love?"

Stella blinked and frowned. "Not at all. Your daughter, sorry I never got your name, she was there and saw it all."

"It's Bloom," she supplied, all too aware of the three pairs of eyes burning into the sides of her face but her own eyes never left the window. "And I don't know what I saw. Whatever it was, it was just a trick or an act. It wasn't real." She was repeating the lines she'd been telling herself all day and when she finally looked over at Stella, there was disappointment in her brown eyes. Bloom flushed and looked back to the window.

Stella's voice wasn't angry when she spoke however, but surprisingly gentle. "I'm not sure why you would think that Bloom, considering you knocked that ogre back with a hell of an energy blast."

Vanessa and dad turned to her, mouths and eyes wide open and Bloom let out a hysterical laugh. "But that wasn't… magic isn't real," she finally said weakly but her resolve was crumbling and Stella could see it. "Fairies aren't real. And ogres definitely aren't real."

Stella smiled. "Well yeah, not here. But in the Magical Dimension? Fairies are just one of the magical beings that exist."

"I'm calling Dr. Silverman," Mike said suddenly, standing from the chair beside the bed and heading for the phone on the other side of the room. "Maybe he'll come on a house call and explain why the two of you are seeing things that aren't there."

Stella watched him go with narrowed eyes and before Bloom could protest and assure Mike that she wasn't seeing things, Stella pursed her lips and pointed a finger at the phone turning it into a carrot and a head of lettuce. All three Peters gaped while Stella smothered giggles. "Still think I'm out of my mind?"

"Ok," Mike said sounding shocked and he came to sit back by the bed. "Just say we believe you and agree that magic is real, and I'm still not… anyway just say we believe you. What on earth makes you think that Bloom of all people has magic?"

Stella smiled, but then out of nowhere she looked over the side of the bed at Bloom's feet. "How's your ankle?"

Bloom frowned. It hadn't bothered her at all during the day and to be honest she'd actually forgotten about the bite after she'd put a bandage on it the night before. She put her foot up on the edge of the bed and peeled away the bandage. "Alright, I think. I meant to ask you about that…" Bloom broke off as she finally caught sight of her bare ankle for the first time. The ripped skin had healed, the scabs had disappeared and all that was left to show there had been an injury at all was a faint bruise. Stella's finger touched it lightly, her skin feeling unnaturally warm before drawing away again.

"And I'll bet _that_ will be gone by morning."

Bloom could only gape for a moment. "But last night, it was mess." She caught sight of her parent's expectant looks. " _Something_ bit me yesterday and it looked like it would take weeks to heal completely but…" She touched the bruise again.

Stella shrugged. "It's the magic in your blood. You're a fairy Bloom. Look at me," she said gesturing to herself and for the first time Bloom realised that all the cuts and bruises that had littered Stella's skin the day before had miraculously disappeared. "You won't heal anything major right away, not without a spell anyway, but a good night's sleep will heal most minor stuff."

Vanessa let out a sudden gasp that caught the entire room's attention. It was the first noise Bloom had heard from her in ages. "When Bloom was ten she broke her arm and it healed in two weeks, when it should have taken at least four. But the doctor said the break just wasn't as bad as they'd thought."

Stella shook her head. "Humans will rationalise anything."

"So how did you end up on Earth, honey?" Vanessa asked.

Mike looked shocked. "Vanessa! You're not saying you believe this, are you?"

"Mike, how can we not. You've seen and heard everything. What other explanation is there?"

Mike looked tired and rubbed at his eyes. "I guess. Why don't you start from the beginning."

"Well, I was coming from my kingdom of Solaria and heading to my school, Alfea on Magix, because orientation is tomorrow when this ogre attacked me out of nowhere. So I teleported out of there and I wasn't really concentrating which is how I ended up on Earth but the ogre had followed me. I would probably be long gone if Bloom hadn't found me."

"Maybe we should call your parents now? Let them know you're alright?" Vanessa suggested.

Stella laughed not unkindly. "I'm afraid that's easier said than done. Unless you have an interdimensional phone which I'm guessing you don't and I left mine in my bag at Alfea so no way to contact them. But, it's fine," she added quickly. "My parents think I'm safe at Alfea and Alfea isn't expecting me until tomorrow. Hey," Stella continued, eyes lighting up. "I just thought of a brilliant idea. You should totally think about coming to Alfea with me. It's the best school in the entire dimension and you're easily good enough to get in."

Bloom blinked. She'd gone from being a normal girl who'd gone through a strange encounter, to being a fairy with magical powers, to being invited to a boarding school in a whole other dimension that she hadn't known existed in the space of about ten minutes. Luckily Mike, who Bloom could see was nearing the end of his rope came to her rescue.

"Hold up, we're not just going to send our daughter off to a school we know nothing about in a whole other dimension just like that. This is- Vanessa? Bloom, I think me and your mum should talk about this for a bit alone. Why don't you guys head up to Bloom's room while we talk about all this."

Stella seemed to get that there was no use pushing him further and Bloom was still in shock so they left the guest room without an argument and headed upstairs while Mike and Vanessa reconvened in the kitchen. None of them knew however that trouble was brewing on the other side of town where Knut the ogre had just reappeared back up by a small army of ghouls and a hunter troll that would have no trouble tracking them down.

"So how do you think I ended up here if I'm supposedly magic?" Bloom wanted to know as they ascended the stairs.

Stella shrugged. "I've never heard of it happening before but it could be any number of ways. One of your ancestors could have had magic and it skipped your parents but appeared in you."

"But I'm adopted."

Stella looked at her with wide eyes. "Even better. Do you know anything about them." Bloom just shook her head and Stella shrugged again. "Your biological parents could have been magic but something happened or they got into some trouble and they had to give you up. I'm really not sure. Sorry Bloom"

Bloom waved away her apologies and they continued up, her mind spinning with possibilities. As they reached her room Bloom couldn't help but worry about the mess she knew she'd left her room in. She also knew her room, although decently sized mustn't compare to what a Princess what used to. She entered casting a partly fond and partly embarrassed glance over the peach coloured walls and white furniture; she had two desks, one that held her computer and sat against one wall and another, her drawing desk was tilted to its precise angle and overflowed with sketches and drawings, pens and pencils, and sat underneath the window on another wall. Dirty laundry and balled up drawing attempts littered the carpet and her stereo was heaped with CD cases. Bloom spotted a nearby bra she'd left on the floor and quickly kicked it under her bed before Stella could notice.

Her worried turned out to be unfounded however because Stella took one look around the room and broke into a smile. "Awesome room, Bloom. You really should consider taking it to Alfea with you," she said, walking over to Bloom's bed to inspect the bookshelves set into the wall above it. "A quick packing spell and most of this will fit into a handbag."

"If I even go to Alfea," Bloom said softly, more to herself than her new friend. She went to sit on the bed and Stella joined her.

"What's holding you back?"

Again Bloom felt a hysterical laugh bubble up from the pit of her stomach. "Aside from the fact my parents probably won't let me, I found out I was a fairy five minutes ago, a fact I can still hardly believe, and I have absolutely no control over my powers?"

Stella grinned as if to say _is that all?_ "A). Even if they say no, you just can't take no for an answer, b). You better start believing it sister because you've got magic and c). That's why you're going to Alfea, to learn how to control your powers."

This time when Stella smiled it was like she was saying _what else you got?_ But Bloom didn't bother to point how far behind she was going to be.

Instead she said, "What will happen to the ogre? It could still be out there."

Stella considered the question. "Technically Earth is no one realm's responsibility but if I report if at Magix they might send someone to take care of it. Odds are though the ogre's not even still on Earth. They don't enjoy it much here."

Bloom's head spun trying to understand it all. "Ok so what's the deal with all this realm stuff. And how are they different from planets? And how are ogres and things like that just allowed to walk around wherever they like."

Stella crossed her legs swiftly and turned completely to face Bloom. "Ok, this is probably going to be really confusing but I'll try my best and just let me know if you need me to slow down or explain anything."

Bloom similarly faced her and made sure she was listening.

"Ok, so as you know there is a magical dimension and a non-magic dimension and with the use of magic or magical technology you can move between them. Where in the non-magic dimension there is several planets but only one has human life, nearly all our planets can and do sustain life. Now some planets belong to just one people but others are split up which is why we use both the word 'planet' and 'realm'."

Bloom rubbed at her temples, already feeling the headache from before returning. "Ok so let me get this straight. A planet can have just one realm but not necessarily."

Stella grinned. "Exactly. Soon enough no one will be able to tell you weren't born in the magical dimension." Bloom couldn't help but smile back at that. "Ok, what else do you want to know?"

"Realms, who runs them?"

"Royal families, governments, or a mixture," Stella responded. "So some planets are ruled purely by their royal families. Then there are others like the planet Magix, that's the planet at the centre of the dimension by the way, that are run by a government full of representatives voted in by the people. Then there are others like my planet, Solaria where the royal family - that's me - rule the realm but we also work alongside representatives voted in by the people." Stella took a deep breath. "Understand?"

"Yep. Are fairies like the main… species or are there other things. Tell me everything."

Stella laughed. "That would be like me asking you to name every single animal on Earth but I'll try my best. So I guess the main four species ar fairies, witches, wizards and heroes. But then you also have-"

"Hang on, hold up," Bloom said holding up her hands. "Heroes?" The other three species sounded pretty self-explanatory but Bloom found herself confused by the generic term.

"Right, sorry. So heroes are usually born to fairies and other heroes and basically are considered magical beings but they don't possess the actual ability to use magic. Instead they're predisposed to certain traits like strength, intelligence, tactical thinking, control over magical beasts, that sort of thing so a lot of them go to these schools where they train to be specialists. There's actually a school for specialists right near us, Red Fountain and the boys there are so hot. All cute and muscly with ridiculous abs."

Bloom smothered a laugh at the longing in Stella's voice and tried to concentrate. "And what, do they all join their realm's army or something?"

"They can. But they can also be guards in the palace, work to protect their home realms or planets and sometimes they work in the government, it doesn't really restrict them that much hell, the King of Eraklyon is a hero."

"Wow. Ok so you also mentioned witches?"

"Right, witches. You could say they're like the opposite to fairies although I guess that's an unfair generalisation. Obviously there are bad fairies and specialists, and wizards tend to be a mixed bag and there are probably some alright witches out there but just like fairies are predisposed to doing good and specialists are predisposed to being protectors, witches are predisposed to evil and mischief. Their ancestors are fae - very different to fairies, always remember that - who are always getting into mischief so witches are like that but to the extreme."

"So they're evil but they're allowed to walk around doing bad things?" Bloom could hear the incredulity in her voice and apparently so could Stella because her lips twisted as she tried to explain.

"Yeah, it's complicated. Look each realm has their own laws but generally it's like this. Witches can do as they want to a certain extent, if we went around locking witches up every time they did something bad our prison system would be ridiculous. So as long as they don't kill anyone or try to take over the planet rulers generally leave them be.

"Plus they're a pretty isolated species. Most of the witch population are concentrated on their own planets. There are very few planets that have a mix of all four major species, Magix being one of them."

"Oh my god my brain," Bloom cried, only half joking as she clutched at her head.

"I know darling," Stella smiled, patting Bloom on the back. "And that's not even getting into the nitty gritty of the smaller species like ogres, and nymphs, and-"

"No, stop," Bloom laughed, flopping over and covering her ears.

Stella laughed, high and loud like twinkling bells. "Alright, I don't want to overwhelm you so one more question."

Bloom sat up swiftly, already knowing what she wanted to ask. "Powers," she said, and Stella's face relaxed in understanding, already nodding. "I noticed that all your sp- spells? Yeah, well they all seemed to revolve around the sun but mine felt like this white hot energy when I shot that ener- energy blast?"

"Look at you picking up the lingo! Anyway, yeah, your powers are made up of the essence of your realm and I come from Solaria which is the realm of the Sun and the Moon which is why all my magic is based on that. It's also why I'm always tanned and my skin's warm." Stella laughed but something had just occurred to Bloom.

"Wait if you're powers reflect where you're from can't you tell me-"

But Stella was already shaking her head apologetically. "Sorry, Bloom. But fire's not that uncommon and there's literally hundreds of planets. Really your power could come from Solaria or half a dozen other realms right off the top of my head. Sorry," she said again seeing the disappointment on Bloom's face.

Bloom smiled weakly and shook her head, feeling stupid at the disappointment rushing through her. A warm hand settled over hers and squeezed lightly.

"Hey," Stella said gently and Bloom blinked over at her. "We'll figure it out when we get to Alfea, I promise."

Bloom sighed and leaned over to rest her head on Stella's shoulder. "And if my parents don't let me go to another realm for school? Because let's face it, they'd have to be crazy to let me."

Stella was silent for a long moment. "Dimension," she finally said quietly.

Bloom sat back upright with a frown. "Huh?"

"Alfea's in another dimension."

It had the desired effect and Bloom couldn't contain her giggles and after a moment they were both rolling about Bloom's laughing. Eventually they caught their breath, both lying on their backs and staring up at the ceiling. After a moment Bloom lifted her hands above her and just stared at them as though she was waiting for them to do something extraordinary.

"And if I get there and it's all been a big mistake?"

Stella scoffed. "Power like that is no mistake."

"You keep saying that but I don't get what was so extraordinary about it. You were doing fine-"

"Exactly, I was doing fine," Stella said an odd tone to her voice. She sat up and stared across the room and after a moment Bloom also sat up. "I've been training with my powers since I was two years old and yeah I'm pretty powerful but even I've never done anything close to what you did yesterday." Bloom was quiet and Stella slid from the bed to wander absently about the room. "Honestly they're probably just rusty from not being used." Stella approached her desk and her fingers skimmed over the cover of her fairy book.

Hating the serious direction their conversation had gone in Bloom decided to change the subject. "So are real fairies like the one's in that book?" It was hard not to snort at the paradox 'real fairies'.

Stella picked up the book and turned to sit on the edge of the desk, flicking through the pages lazily. After a moment she made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. "Books like this give fairies a bad name," she muttered.

Bloom made a surprised noise and Stella glanced up.

"It's just they see the cutsy outfits and think we're a joke." She flipped through more pages and abruptly let out a chuckle and Bloom just knew she was looking at the picture of the fairy covered in flowers. Stella turned the book so Bloom could see and tapped a manicured nail on the page. "Only hippies dress like this."

They shared another laugh but Bloom's smile faded as she went back to staring at her hands.

"I think you need a bit of inspiration," Stella declared and pushed away from the desk. Bloom raised an eyebrow but didn't object. "Wanna go see Alfea for real?"

"But my parents…"

Stella waved a hand, unconcerned. "Don't worry, we won't stay long."

Bloom shrugged and rolled off the bed. "I'm game. But how do we get there?"

Stella grinned wide and mischievous before plucking an elegant ring from her finger and toying with it for a second. Still grinning, Stella held Bloom's gaze as the ring transformed in her hand; the band unrolled and lengthened and the circle set into the centre of the ring grew until the entire thing became a familiar looking sceptre.

Bloom managed not to gape this time and merely raised her eyebrows. "Neat trick."

Stella snorted but didn't say anything as she spun her sceptre a few times and then they were flying. Bloom's room melted away and for a moment there was only colour around them. Bloom's feet slammed into something solid and she might have buckled if it wasn't for the sudden arm looping around her waist. She wobbled for a moment as her blurry surroundings slowly sharpened and Stella's face swam into few.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You did well, considering it was your first time. Most people vomit."

"I wonder why," Bloom said faintly.

Stella smiled but was looking at her expectantly and when Bloom looked around, she understood what Stella had been waiting for.

Wow. She didn't say the words, couldn't quite manage it but her lips framed each letter. Because standing just a little way aways was the Alfea school in all it's majestic glory. It's structure was distinctly castle-like with it's towers and turrets rather than the typical high school. The entire was thing was made of sandstone with the barest pink tinge and with it's glass features it made quite the spectacle glittering in the late afternoon sun.

Stella caught her look and nodded knowingly. "It's very beautiful, isn't it?"

"So why come to a school that's out of your realm?"

"Well, it's the best in the entire dimension," Stella explained as they wandered closer. "So only the best from all over are accepted here to perfect their powers. Some Princess choose to come here, but mostly it's regular fairies, a couple of pixies and even gwyllions. Just across the enchanted forest is the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery. But on the down side we're just down the lagoon from the creepiest place you'll ever go: the Cloud Tower School for Witches."

"This is such a big decision," Bloom said quietly, more to herself than anything. She glanced at Stella, a small smile on her face. "My parents are really going to miss me."

Stella's smile was brighter than the sun. "Does that mean what I think it means?" she asked hopefully before flinging herself at Bloom when her new friend nodded. "That's good because to help you make your decision I invited a couple of the Red Fountain boys over but now they can just help us celebrate," Stella said slyly, slipping a phone back into the pocket of her skirt.

"My parent will just love that. Besides I still need to convince them to let their only daughter go off with a girl they've known one day," she reminded Stella who just waved a hand like that would be the easiest thing.

"I am very responsible. We'd better get back though, they'll be here soon."

"What?" Bloom yelped, looking down at her plain jeans and t-shirt.

"You look great," Stella assured her before summoning her sceptre and sending them back into the other dimension.

Despite Stella's assurances the second their feet touched back down in Bloom's room, she was heading over to her wardrobe to change.

"I like this look," Stella said, lounging on her bed again and watching her feverishly go through her drawers. Bloom made a face as she looked at herself in the mirror, old Led Zeppelin concert shirt that she thought might have been Vanessa's back when she'd first been dating Mike and a pair of jeans so ripped and frayed that they showed almost as much skin as they covered. "It's like rocker chick chic," Stella continued as Bloom held up a top before chucking it aside. "Although I would love to see what you could do in a mini-skirt."

Bloom fought the urge to shudder at the idea of herself in a mini-skirt and all those miles of skin she usually liked to keep covered and glanced over her shoulder. "Do you always dress like that because you're going to give me a complex."

Stella smiled slightly and smoothed a hand down the orange fabric covering her thighs. She was wearing her outfit from yesterday and looked just as fabulous. Bloom felt a little ratty beside her.

"No, this is a little dressed up even for me. But you know first day back, had to make an impression. Who is Led Zeppelin, by the way?"

"A band?" Bloom said. "You've never been blessed with the sounds of Led Zeppelin?"

Stella shook her head and opened her mouth but before she could get a word out there was an almighty crash from downstairs. Stella sat upright and Bloom stepped away from her wardrobe, worry mirrored on each other's face.

"What was that?" Bloom whispered, feeling stupid for how spooked she was.

"I don't-" Stella was cut off by a wall-shuddering roar from downstairs.

Comprehension dawned on her face and the girls were up and moving towards the door in an instant. They slowed on the stairs at Stella's insistence and crept downstairs to find a trashed living room, two cowering parents, a familiar ogre and unfamiliar troll surrounded by ghouls. The ogre was yelling furiously at Bloom's terrified parents and hadn't noticed that they'd arrived.

"I thought you said the ogre would have gone back by now?" Bloom breathed.

"Looks like this one's holding a grudge," she said and Bloom noticed she'd summoned her sceptre. Stella's eye narrowed as she took in the hulking figure beside the ogre. "Hunter troll," she spat. "The ogre must have given it our scent and tracked us."

If Bloom had thought the ogre was ugly she was sorely mistaken because his new companion was bright blue, even taller, with a face that looked as though it had come into contact with a brick wall recently with scraggly black hair.

"Tell us where the girls are or you're done" the ogre suddenly bellowed.

"Turn around, sunshine," Stella suddenly called surprising not only the ogre and troll but also Bloom.

"It's them," the ogre rasped, fixing it's beady little eyes on them.

"I guess someone didn't learn their lesson."

Bloom wished she shared Stella's confidence as her friend transformed in front of her, glamorous clothing disappearing and replaced by the same shorts and top she'd worn the day before. A pair of wings sprouted from her back. She jumped from the steps and fluttered towards the troll and kicked him square in the face, before he could even blink.

The ogre grunted in annoyance as he watched the troll stumble backwards and roared a command at him. The troll snarled right back at Stella who didn't even flinch back.

"You mad, big guy?" she taunted, flying back just out of reach. "Why don't you do something about it, tall, blue, and gruesome."

Bloom stumbled down the steps and even though she was shaking, she took her place beside Stella.

"I'll take these two uglies," Stella said, eyes on the ogre and the troll. Her voice was tight and controlled. "You take care of the ghouls."

Bloom wanted to protest, wondering how on earth she was supposed to do that with no powers but she couldn't very well let Stella deal with all of them so she nodded shakily and stumbled back a step just as Stella flew forward. She continued backing away towards where her parents were still cowering in the corner.

"Promise me something," she started, keeping her eyes on the ghouls that seemed to have multiplied.

"Darling…" Vanessa began.

"Promise me you'll go into the other room and stay in there until me or Stella comes and gets you."

"There's no way, we're letting you out there on your own."

"I'll only be distracted if you stay in here."

Mike remained silent, unwilling to let his only daughter run out into danger, but Vanessa recognised the stubborn glint in her eyes and knew that there wasn't anything she could say to change her mind. She slipped her hand around Mike's and pulled him from the room, slipping quietly around the battling trio in the centre.

Now that her parents were out of harm's way she could fully concentrate on the ghouls. The best way she knew to deal with them was to run out the back where she would have more room to fight and she wouldn't have to worry about the troll and ogre.

"Alright, little ghoulies, come and get me." Bloom took off at a run, darting around the troll and heading out the door.

The ogre followed her progress before turning a nasty smile on Stella. "You don't stand a chance now that you're friend's gone."

Stella couldn't control the laugh that bubbled up. She threw her head back and let it out. "Bring it on. I'm gonna whip your ass and not even muss my hair." She punctuated her words with a toss of her golden pigtails.

Outside, Bloom was slowly leading the ghouls further and further away from the house as a strange blast was heard from the inside of the house. Bloom could only quickly pray that Stella was alright before the ghouls were advancing on her. Before Bloom could decide what to do however, the ogre was blasted out the back door by Stella and landed on their congregated group, squishing them into the concrete.

Bloom laughed in relief. "Good one, Stella."

Her triumph was short-lived however because the next moment, Stella was thrown through the back window, breaking the glass as she went. She grunted in pain, remaining on the ground as the hunter troll shouldered his way from the house, breaking the door frame even more as he went. Bloom dropped to her knees beside Stella touching her shoulder gently to see if she was okay. Stella sat up quickly, brushing the glass from her skin as she went and didn't seem to mind the bits still embedded, her attention was fixed on something she saw over Bloom's shoulder. She spun around and looked up and up to see the glaring face of the troll above her, looking ready to attack.

The scowling troll took an alarming step towards them, sending the girls scuttling backwards on their butts.

"Shit, what do we do?" Bloom asked and Stella gaped up at the menacing creature in response. A sudden shadow fell over them and a voice spoke from behind the troll.

"Hey Princess Stella, I hope your friend is the pretty one with the red hair." The only recognisable thing about the voice was that it was male. As it spoke, a black cord came flying out of nowhere and wrapped itself around the troll, trapping it's hand to its sides. Bloom pursed her lips in mild irritation at being called pretty by a stranger. She was not the type of girl to swoon for a guy just because he paid her a cheap compliment. Nonetheless she was relieved backup had arrived.

"Yeah, and not this ugly guy at the end of the leash," another voice chimed in.

The girls peered around the struggling troll to see four guys dressed in identical uniforms and each wielding some type of weapon. Stella relaxed at the sight of them, the breath she had been holding in expelling in one loud gush. These were obviously the guys she had invited over from the Red Fountain school. Bloom looked at them all again; it was strange that they were all very different but still had the same sense of strength and power resonating off them.

The only blonde in the group, was holding a transparent blue longsword and shield spoke again. "I suggest a three-pronged rescue op." Bloom easily identified him as the first speaker and narrowed her eyes at him, regarding him curiously. There was feverish kind of energy about him, almost as though the rush of battle was what he lived for.

The guy beside him, now easily identifiable as the second speaker, had hair so black that it had a purple tinge to it. He was the one who was holding the whip which had a purple handle and a small dagger with the same colour blade in his other hand. He snorted at the blonde's words and smirked arrogantly, "Forget that, I've got this wrapped up all by myself."

A brunette beside him looked bored; he was hunched over the grip of his broadsword which was balancing on the concrete of the courtyard, watching the struggling troll with the barest trace of interest.

Bloom realised each of their weapons was made with the same kind of material that was transparent but glowed slightly at the same time.

"Dude," the brunette sighed. "One summer at a swashbuckler camp doesn't mean you're ready to go solo on a troll." As soon as he finished speaking, the ogre gave an almighty jerk which yanked the guy off his feet and sent him flying across the yard, landing with a loud grunt between Bloom and Stella. The brunette sighed. "I rest my case."

The hunter troll, zeroing in it's newest threat lumbered towards the guys. The blonde immediately took charge and moved forward to meet the troll halfway.

"Get behind me," he ordered. The group shifted slightly so he was ahead and he raised his shield. The troll's fists came crashing down over and over again with extreme force, but both the shield and the blonde held strong and refused to break. "Hey guys, what did we learn about battling trolls?" he asked casually, as though he wasn't holding back an enormous troll with just a shield and his own strength.

"Well…" the brunette said and leapt into action, jumping in the air and raising his sword. It stunned Bloom that he could seem so disinterested one second and right in the thick of the fight the next. He landed lightly, bringing his sword down to connect with the concrete with an almighty slam. The blonde finally could jump out of the way of the crashing fists.

"Smash 'em I think," the brunette commented. A green flare shot up from where the blade had connected and shot between the Troll's legs causing a crack to appear in the courtyard.

"No Sky," a guy with glasses who had been silent so far corrected his brunette friend. "You take out their feet." He withdrew a gun and shot it three times. Bright yellow darts shot from the end and zoomed towards the troll, attacking its feet causing it to fall backwards and into the fissure created in the ground. "Alright," he grinned down at the incapacitated troll.

"Good thing you aced how to battle forest creatures Timmy."

"Ghoul alert," the brunette - Sky - noted, flicking his fringe from his eyes.

The guy with black hair who had landed with the girls, growled under his breath as the troll was taken out, hating that he had been involved. "Stay here. This won't take long," he ordered the girls. He stood and produced a purple sword from seemingly nowhere. With two purple flashes two ghouls were taken out, but a third jumped on his back before he could slice it. He grabbed it and flung it off of him but the distraction had allowed the ogre to sneak up behind him and knock him out.

The other guys were still preoccupied with the hunter troll who didn't seem to ready to stop fighting yet either. The ogre moved closer to the unconscious guy and Bloom despite not quite used to her powers couldn't sit there and do nothing.

"Leave him alone." Her yell gained his attention and he turned towards them just in time to see both Bloom and Stella - who had basically read Bloom's mind - raise their hands to blast him.

"Nice shot there, Bloom."

"I don't know how it happened." Bloom would have liked to analyse the white hot flash of energy that seemed to have come from pure desperation but there was no time with the battle still raging around them.

"How many times do I have to tell you? You've got magic." Stella sang the last part as though they weren't in the middle of a battle. The ogre got back to his feet with a growl and about to turn back to the girls but the black haired guy was back on his feet catching his attention.

"Back off shorty," the ogre grunted.

The guy didn't respond but wiped a smear of blood from his cheek. Stella intercepted the conversation before they could start fighting again, recognising that no-one was strong enough to survive another attack. "You're the one who's gonna back off ogre, or I'm gonna put my _Stinkus-Removus_ spell on you and you're gonna end up smelling like you just took a bath," she threatened. To Bloom's surprise, the ogre grunted in alarm and immediately backed off. He surveyed the entire group all looking ready to fight again with their weapons drawn. He clapped three times and disappeared in a ray of violet light. "I knew that would scare him," Stella giggled.

"Eugh," Bloom admitted, eyeing the space where the ogre had been standing. She followed Stella over to the guys who were slowly lowering their weapons.

"Bloom, these are the Red Fountain guys I was telling you about."

The guys waved a greeting.

"Meet Riven…" Stella pointed to the arrogant guy with black hair, who merely scowled back.

"... Prince Sky…"

"Hey," Sky, the brunette grinned.

"...Timmy…" She indicated the a guy with glasses and auburn hair.

"Nice to meet you," Timmy said with a wave.

"... And Brandon." The blonde, Brandon tucked away his blade and shield into his belt.

"How ya doin'?" He said with a smile. Bloom merely smiled in response to all their greetings and waved.

The hunter troll's head popped up from the hole made in the concrete. Timmy reached down with an electrified collar and clipped in round his neck before he could move any further.

"Not so fast, big guy. You're coming with us," Brandon said, tugging at the collar until he stood beside them.

"Yeah, you've done enough damage for one day."

"Where are you guys gonna taking him?" Bloom asked..

"We'll take him to Red Fountain. He'll likely be sent to a creature preserve," Riven said.

"Sorry we can't stay longer Stella," Sky grinned and the other guys reluctantly agreed, making their way to the troll where Timmy was using a gadget to set up a portal.

"All good," Stella said with a wave. "I'll catch up with you guys when term starts. Thanks for the help with the ogre"

Sky shot a grin over his shoulder at the two girls. "So long."

"Bye," Timmy called. The boys one by one entered the portal and pulled the troll along with them. At the last moment Brandon turned back to say one last thing.

"I hope I see you at Alfea, Bloom."

Before Bloom could even work out what to say he had vanished through the portal and Bloom felt the unfamiliar feeling of a blush heat her cheeks. She moved back to the house trying to ignore the grin she could basically _hear_ coming from Stella.

"So how did you meet those guys?" Bloom asked, if only to stop her commenting on Brandon's final words.

"Well, I met them at the Alfea - Red Fountain mixer last year. We were all in our first year. Except for Riven, he wasn't their friend last year so I don't know what happened there."

A horrible thought dawned on Bloom. "Hold on, if you started Alfea last year won't that mean you'll be in the grade ahead of me?" Starting a whole new school would be daunting enough for Bloom considering she'd been going to school with the same people since first grade but add in the magic, doing it without Stella by her side was not something she thought she could handle.

Stella blushed a little but shook her head. "Actually no. Yes I started Alfea last year but I'm being held back due to some, let's say behavioural issues." She laughed at the look on Bloom's face. "I think they blew it way out of proportion but yeah. Dad was _not_ pleased. Also, Red Fountain is four years while Alfea is just three so we're all technically in the same year. They say they need the extra year to develop or whatever but I just think guys can't do it all in three years like we can."

Bloom huffed a sigh of relief while Stella slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Calmed down now?"

"Yeah," Bloom smiled.

"Alright, then let's go find your 'rents, they're probably freaking out now."

* * *

The next day started early with a cleanup of the house. All four current inhabitants reported down not long after sunrise to start on the destruction that the troll made. They started on the living room first which had been just about completely obliterated by Stella's fight last night. Mike was wielding a broom and sweeping up the sea broken glass from the window.

"I'm just glad this is all over," he sighed looking over to his wife who was clearing away debris on the other side of the room.

Bloom looked up from where she was salvaging pieces of furniture that weren't totally wrecked. She opened her mouth to speak, maybe try and apologise yet again about the troll like she had been doing since the Red Fountain guys left, all of which had been brushed aside by her parents who had insisted it wasn't her fault but Stella interrupted from her spot beside Bloom.

"Hey, why don't you let me whip this place into shape with a little magic?"

Mike laughed dryly. "I think I've had enough magic for a while."

Bloom sighed. Her parents still hadn't told her what they thought about Alfea and at the rate they were going it wasn't going to get talked about until Christmas. After the fight last night she was practically itching to start developing her powers hating how out of control she'd felt the night before. Stella detected her irritation and took charge.

"I promise, this is perfectly safe."

Mike eyed her carefully, obviously trying to decide whether to believe her or not. Stella was dressed yet again in her long skirt and midriff that she'd refreshed this morning with a little spell and she fluttered her eyelashes at him innocently. Finally Mike sighed out an agreement, his eyes casting heavenward as if asking for guidance.

Stella grinned her megawatt grin and raised her hands calling out, " _Revertus-originales,"_ in a commanding voice. The room immediately jumped to obey, the furniture scooting around until they found their positions from before the fight, broken glass from mirrors and windows zoomed through the air and sealed themselves together in the frames and extra debris and dust just simply disappeared.

While the final cracks and dents repaired themselves, Mike and Vanessa nodded at their daughter, gesturing that they leave Stella to her cleaning while they talked in the kitchen. Bloom followed them without an argument and the trio sat at the table. Bloom had no idea what they were going to say, but either way she knew she had to get something out first.

"I don't know what you guys are thinking about all this but… you always tell me whenever I ask about my biological parents that they don't make who I am today."

"Bloom-"

"Please, I need to get this out. You always say, they don't determine who I am and that can only come from me. And you're right. Only I can know truly who I am. But that involves following whatever this is because it's a part of me now. I need you to let me go to Alfea."

Mike and Vanessa exchanged a long look.

"We…" Mike cleared his throat. "We've already decided to let you go."

"Oh. Awesome."

"But with some conditions," he continued hurriedly. "You're to call us every night, at least at first," he added quickly when it looked like Bloom was going to protest. "And we want to know what you're up to and any problems as soon as they happen, alright?"

Bloom could agree to that. They returned to the living room where everything looked perfect again and Bloom reached around the open doorway for the suitcase she had stashed there. Her and Stella had spent most of last night packing instead of sleeping, using a mixture of magic and human tricks to cram most of Bloom's room into the average sized suitcase.

"So are we ready to go?" Mike caught a glimpse of the suitcase and gulped; apparently agreeing to let his only daughter move into a boarding school and actually seeing her do it were two different things. Bloom scooped up Kiko who was wandering around her feet. There was no way she was going to let the little bunny get left behind.

"Alright Stella how do we get there?"

"Don't worry Mr P. my sceptre can handle a little trans-dimensional puddle jump like this."

At her words she pulled her ring from her finger and it transformed into her magic sceptre. She twirled it once and without any warning they were teleporting. There was a disorientating feeling of moving a very large distance in a very short time and then their feet connected with something hard. When Bloom chanced opening her eyes, she found herself in the same patch of woods they had landed in the day before.

When she looked over at her parents she saw that also hadn't seemed to enjoy the ride, both looking very pale and a little shaky.

"Don't worry," Stella said breezily. "You get used to it." Mike looked like he was restraining himself from commenting on how he never wanted to travel between dimensions again.

Instead he cast his gaze over the Alfea castle, whistling lightly at the sight. "Wow. This place is pretty amazing," Mike conceded, looking up at the majestic buildings.

Bloom and Stella shared hopeful smiles.

"Come on." Stella jerked her head and lead the group towards the school. Bloom hesitated for a moment, knowing that she was standing on a precipice of change in her life and that once she made this step nothing would ever be the same again. With a small smile she followed Stella into her new life, ready to embrace it.

* * *

 **Well there you go, first chapter done. I hoped you enjoyed it and make sure to leave a kudos and a comment. See you next time xx**


	2. Chapter 2

With each step that took the group closer to the Alfea castle, Bloom found herself getting more and more nervous. It was just as beautiful as it had been the day before, maybe even more so with the morning sun hitting the glass features at just the right angle to make them sparkle.

But it was the countless girls, in all shapes and sizes that were putting Bloom off. There were tiny girls who if Stella hadn't assured her they weren't, she would have thought they were no more than 12 years old, and others so tall that they dwarfed her and Stella by over a foot. There were delicate girls with long elegant limbs, girls who were curvier, with round breasts and hips, and girls who were somewhere in between. There were girls absolutely packed with muscle who looked like they could scare off an ogre with just a look, and little wisps of girls who looked like they wouldn't be able to handle a strong breeze. The variety was unbelievable. There were short pixie cuts, and hair that brushed the ground, ordinary brown eyes, and eyes so blue they look electrified, human features, and pointed pixies ears. It as utterly overwhelming and soon enough Bloom would be among them, trying to fit in.

"There it is," Stella said suddenly, sounding excited. "The renowned Alfea College for Fairies." Despite having spent an entire year there before, there was a note of awe in her voice, one that Bloom could definitely relate to.

"It's really something," Vanessa breathed with Mike nodded along.

All three Peters looked to Stella expectantly.

"So what happens now?" Mike asked.

Stella shifted slightly on her feet and bit her lips and Bloom didn't know what was coming but she didn't think she was going to like it. "You guys can't actually go any further," she said sheepishly, looking at Mike and Vanessa. "There's a magical barrier around Alfea keeping any wayward humans out." Stella snapped her fingers and a dome over the school appeared. It's yellow tint shimmered for a moment in the sun before disappearing again.

Bloom stepped out of the barrier again, having a bad feeling that this was where she would have to leave her parents behind.

"But what about tuition and enrollment?" Mike asked suspiciously

"You guys have to pay for school on Earth?" Stella frowned momentarily sidetracked. "Anyway no tuition and enrollment is all sorted out, I promise." Bloom was slightly doubtful, not remembering Stella saying anything about it last night but wisely kept her mouth closed. "And I promise, if Bloom ever wants or need to come home I'll get her there in a jiffy. I'll take good care of her."

Mike and Vanessa still looked hesitant at the thought of sending their daughter off alone but they had come to trust Stella over the past few days and even though they didn't know how they just felt within them that they could rely on her to keep their daughter safe.

"I think you're going to have a great year, honey," Vanessa said finally, trying to stop the tears welling up in her eyes and quickly swept her daughter into a hug.

"Mum…" Bloom started knowing how hard it must be for her to say goodbye. Her parents had never been exceptionally protective of her but there was a difference between letting her go to the local mall with her friends and letting her attend school in another dimension that they wouldn't have access to.

Vanessa hid her watery smile in Bloom's bright hair. "You're going to have a wonderful time."

They squeezed each other tightly and when they pulled away Bloom wiped a hand discreetly across her eyes to gather the moisture pooling there.

"She sure will. I'll make sure of it," Stella suddenly grinned, capturing her parents attention and giving Bloom a few moments to compose herself.

Then Mike stepped up and placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes sternly. "Remember phone call every night, I want you trying your best, and keeping your grades up. Remember we love you and that we're always here for you, day or night," he finished and pulled her in for a quick hug and kiss to the forehead.

Stella let the family have a few moments to say their final goodbyes before she decided to speak up. "Bloom, we should probably get going, you know while the gettin's good."

Bloom nodded and backed away from her parents, smiling slightly. She saw their worried faces and hastened to reassure them even as she passed through the barrier where they couldn't follow her. "Don't worry guys. I'll be fine. And I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Alright, I'll send you guys back first class. Now stand still… _Sun Power!"_ As she said the incantation she pulled her ring from her finger and it transformed right before their eyes into her sceptre. " _Transportus!"_ The bodies of Bloom's parents dissolved right before her eyes and soon enough it was just the pair of them and Kiko in Bloom's arms left.

It took Bloom a long moment to tear her eyes away from the spot where her parents had disappeared from. It hit her in a way she hadn't expected, leaving her parents like that. She had never been away from them for longer a couple of weeks in her entire life and now she was facing basically an entire years away from home.

For a split second, Bloom expected everything to go wrong then, now that she was out of her parents protection where they couldn't help her anymore. But Stella just smiled her usual smile and oblivious to her friend's thoughts started to speak.

"Now, it's time to make an entrance. And a fabulous entrance is essential, darling."

A weight lifted from her chest and when Bloom returned the smile it felt only half forced. "I'm not sure what you mean, darling, but I'll try."

Stella smiled knowingly at her expression but otherwise didn't comment and they began to make their way out of the edge of the forest and down onto the paved road that lead to the school. As they walked the short distance they discussed just how they would make their 'grand entrance'.

"Just follow me," Stella told her. "Smile, slither and swivel," she directed, punctuating her instruction with the swinging of her own hips as the approached the gates.

"I'm nervous," Bloom confessed, stopping just short of the entrance.

"Relax, you're with me. Fairy school is just like regular school. I think anyway," Stella muttered distractedly, doing nothing to abate Bloom's nerves. "The only difference is we all have magical powers and better outfits."

Bloom was torn between being offended for the 'better outfits' comment and exasperated, simultaneously thinking that that couldn't be the only differences and thinking that magical powers was a pretty _big_ difference. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly to psyche herself up to walk into what could become her home for the next three years. She took another big breath and continued on, Stella brimming with excitement beside her.

"So you said my enrollment was all taken care of?" Bloom asked, partly out of genuine interest and partly in an attempt to distract herself.

"Don't worry," Stella said. "I've got this."

Bloom sighed, not at all put at ease but tried to trust her new friend.

Inside the gates of Alfea the grounds were a flurry of movement and noise. All around them fairies and pixies gathered to either start at their new school or continue their schooling. Terrified looking freshmen gathered in small clumps, clinging to any recognisable person they could find while older students, made their way in lazily, not at all pleased to be back at school; they embraced friends they hadn't seen all summer and moaned about how annoying it was to be back at school.

"This is so amazing," Bloom breathed looking around, trying to take it all in. "I love it."

"Eugh, you're definitely not going to love her," Stella said indicating with a head jerk a severe looking Professor holding a clipboard thick with paper and a scowl etched on her face who was standing near the gate.

"Who's that? She looks kind of scary."

"Griselda, head of discipline. She _is_ scary, and in desperate need of a makeover." The wandered closer to her where she was checking off the names of new students.

"First name and place of origin," Griselda barked, surveying the scared looking girl in front of her through her narrow glasses.

"Uh, Eleanor of Delona," the girl answered timidly. When she received no response from Griselda she continued worriedly. "I signed up online ages ago, I should be on the list."

"Hmmm, I don't see it. I don't see your name and do you know what happens if you're not on the list? We turn you into-"

"It's with one 'l'."

"Oh, there you are: Eleanor of Delona. You may come in."

"Thank God," the girl said quietly.

"Next." Griselda barked.

"Stella…" Bloom said slowly and worriedly. She did not want to find out first hand what Griselda turned unenrolled students into.

Stella laughed, she had already thought of this and come up with a plan. "Fret not, my darling. I've got it all figured out. The Princess of Vallisto was supposed to come here this year, but she changed her mind and is being home schooled instead." Stella snapped her fingers and conjured up an envelope. "She gave me this letter to give to the headmistress. I just won't give it to her and we'll be all good." With that Stella tore up the letter before Bloom could get a word out. "No-one here has ever met her anyway, she's pretty shy so it's perfect." With a smile, Stella threw the pieces of letter in the air and they drifted down like confetti.

"You want me to pretend to be a Princess? I wouldn't know the first thing and besides I hate lying."

"Hey, we're not lying. We're just not telling all that we know." Stella slung an arm around Bloom's shoulder and tugged her towards the Head of Discipline.

"Long time no see, Ms. G." Stella sung.

"Not long enough, Princess Stella. Not after that little incident last year. I have no idea how your parents convinced the school board to take you back."

"They did donate all that money to fix the potions labs _and_ the North Tower."

While the two exchanged their banter, Bloom was taking another look around the grounds. She couldn't stop taking it in, it was so different from what she was used to. Across the courtyard she tracked the progress of a girl with shocking green hair and multiple piercings. Then her attention was caught by a girl with flowers braided into her waist length white-blonde hair. Coming from a school where everyone looked exactly the same and spoke the same, it was mind-boggling to see all the differences between the students. But then the similarities were also astounding. They acted like every other teenager Bloom knew, comparing summer stories, discussing guy issues and moaning and groaning about having to get back into school work.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you've chosen to grace us with your presence again this year," Griselda grimaced in confusion.

"I don't give up that easily."

Griselda gaze swung round to land on Bloom who froze automatically under the intense stare. The professor's eyes took in everything about her; the jeans she wore that were so faded they were practically white and ripped at the knees and thighs, usual grungy high tops, mint green blouse she'd dug out of the back of her closet and red hair falling in unruly curls over her shoulders. Bloom was feeling distinctly un-Princess like as she was surveyed and wondered how she was ever going to pass as the Princess of Vallisto.

"Who is your friend?" She said finally.

"Princess Veranda of Vallisto."

"Let me check the list. Yes, Veranda of Vallisto."

"That's me," Bloom said unnecessarily, a nervous habit to try and hide her uncertainty.

"You may come in. Next."

"Welcome to Alfea," Stella grinned leading her further into the school. They joined the crowd of students who were gathering at the front doors of the castle. Bloom remembered that neither Stella nor Griselda had actually mentioned what the Princess had done to get expelled. When she asked, Stella dodged the question with a smile and some simple words.

"I told you it was nothing. Griselda loves to dramatise."

* * *

After checking off the last student, Griselda strode up the steps and turned sharply to stare down at the Alfea school population. She began her annual speech on the code of behaviour and outlined the rules. She also informed them of the punishment of breaking the code of behaviour; first and second offence warranting detentions, third offences warranting transfiguration into a frog, fourth offence: suspension of magical powers, and fifth offence: expulsion from the school.

"This castle will be your home for the next three years but I will personally escort you to the front gates if you break the code of behaviour," Griselda snapped, apparently not noticing the bored looks of the older students and the eye roll's she was receiving. "First rule: there is to be no magic used without a teacher's supervision on campus, this means no magic in the dorms or corridors. Princess Stella will know all about this. Last year, she destroyed the potions laboratory with an unauthorised spell." Griselda glared down at the unashamed Princess for a moment before returning to her speech.

"You really did that?" Bloom asked, whispering while trying to move her mouth as little as possible.

"I was just trying to create a new shade of pink." Stella shrugged not really noticing the big deal about it. Her parents had after all, paid to have the laboratories fixed.

Bloom grinned and returned her attention to the front, where Griselda was saying, "We believe discipline's the only way to prepare you for the world out there, which brings me to the fourth rule: stay away from the witches of Cloud Tower and their school. There is no punishment for that, since nothing we could do would be as terrible as what they will do if they catch you. For a full and detailed code of behaviour please look in the package found in your dorms. You are expected to have read it by the commencement of class tomorrow and ignorance is not a suitable excuse for any transgressions."

She finished her speech just as the massive double doors opened behind her to show a small grandmotherly looking figure standing there. She looked very smart in her small spectacles, ruffled blouse, royal purple blazer, mauve skirt and heels. But her white curls and kind smile caused a warm feeling to grow inside Bloom.

"Welcome all, come in come in." She turned and walked further into the entrance hall, the freshmen entering eagerly while the sophomores and seniors trailed reluctantly. When everyone was squished in and the doors had been shut again she walked up a few stairs of the grand staircase and faced them again.

"Welcome all. I'm Ms Faragonda, your headmistress. I'm an Alfea alumna and former fairy-godmother. This year as always we seem to have a wonderful class of new students and the excellent students who have returned. Many of you will fight evil and protect your realms, others will grant wishes and some are Princesses who will take over your realms. Each of you is unique, you all have different sources of power and diverse origins, but our mission is the same…"

"To help each of you be the very best you can be," Stella and Faragonda said together, the former whispering under her breath so only Bloom could hear. Stella breathed a laugh, "She really loves saying that."

Up the front, Faragonda continued, "Naturally we expect you to do your best at all times. Now it is time to find your dormitories and meet your roommates. Older students know where you are going and new students form an orderly line and report to Professor Griselda. You all have the rest of the day off to settle in but classes will resume tomorrow, you will find your timetables in your dormitories. Now off you go and remember to use every opportunity to connect to your winx."

The room instantly erupted in conversation and motion, the older students shoving their way to the staircase and making their way to their rooms while the younger students scrambled to join the quickly forming line before Griselda.

"It sounds like they prepare you for all kinds of stuff. What do you reckon you're going to be?" Bloom asked sticking close to Stella's back who was using her elbows as weapons to part the crowd.

"I'm gonna rule the Kingdom of Solaria. It's all planned out," Stella replied. There was a strange tone in her voice that had Bloom wondering if Stella was excited about this or not. Bloom decided not to press the topic any further and steared the conversation away from their futures.

"What did she mean 'connect to your winx'?"

"Your winx is essentially three things. First, it's your source of power, as in your strength and energy. Second, it's what guides you. And thirdly, it's your magical identity. Got it?"

They joined the line, Stella breathing a sigh of relief as she noticed they weren't too far from Griselda, not that Bloom had noticed, she was too preoccupied thinking about what Stella had just told her.

"I think so."

"You either got it or you don't, and you do."

The girls stepped up to Griselda who didn't look up from her clipboard.

"Name?"

"Your favourite student ever," Stella replied cheekily but Griselda still didn't bother to look up.

"I'm not sure about that Princess Stella. You're in the same room as last year, 107 as well as your friend Veranda." Griselda had known without looking that Bloom was standing beside Stella. Stella nudged a relieved Bloom upon hearing the news. As soon as she had heard about dormitories Bloom had immediately began worrying about who she would be put with. "Stella, you are in a single room and Veranda you're sharing."

"Awesome, no bunking up close with anyone," Stella said pulling Bloom along by the elbow towards the packed staircase. "I hope we get good roommates."

"Why, do we spend a lot of time with them?"

"Yeah, basically all of your down time is spent with them and they are nearly always in your classes."

Bloom frowned, wondering how she was going to keep up the charade of being a Princess while getting close to a group of girls. Stella must have sensed her worry.

"You're going to do great."

The girls began the climb up the stairs towards the dorm that would be their home for the next three years.

After a surprisingly short walk, Stella and Bloom arrived at a set of ornate green double doors with the number 107 engraved neatly in the centre of each door. A page with a list of neat calligraphy names was pinned to one of the doors. Bloom read the names aloud:

 _Single Room: Princess Stella of Solaria_

 _Double Room One: Princess Veranda of Vallisto and Flora of Linphea_

 _Double Room Two: Tecna of Zenith and Musa of the Harmonic Nebula_

"Our roommates. I hope they're better than the ones I got last year. They had no sense of humour."

They pushed open the door to a central living area, complete with lounges, a large TV and stereo. The room was empty but there were signs that people had been through there, the tv was on and playing some music video and there was a bag lying on one of the lounges. Three closed doors branched out from the living room.

Directly ahead, Stella's name was etched on the door and Bloom's alias was inscribed on the door to their right. On the other side of the living room sat another door bearing the other two remaining names.

They moved towards Stella's room without even having to think about it. The room was large and light, one entire wall made up of floor to ceiling windows. The walls were painted a nice peach colour and the floor covered with a soft cream carpet. There was a double bed against the centre of one wall, a built in wardrobe across another wall and a desk in the remaining corner near the windows. It was everything and more than anyone could ask of a high school dorm room.

"They've redecorated," Stella noted with interest. A simple click of her fingers and a muttered incantation had her bags appearing out of nowhere and dropping softly onto the carpet.

"This room is so nice," Bloom said, taking it all in.

"Yeah, that's one thing you can't fault Alfea on."

They wandered back out and into Bloom's room. However before they could get much of a look at it, there was a sudden yell from beside her. Bloom felt something under her foot and hastily jumped backwards off it, narrowly avoiding Stella. _What the hell?_ Bloom thought and searched for what could have made the noise. She looked down to see a vine retract from where her foot had been a second ago. She followed its path to see a plant staring at her reproachfully. _Hang on._ Bloom gaped at the plant that somehow had a face.

"Ouch, that hurt," the plant gasped. Stella appeared beside Bloom squinting at the plant, looking as surprised as Bloom felt.

"Uh, I'm sorry," said Bloom uncertainty.

"He's my latest creation," a soft voice said from across the room. The girls looked over to a girl who was walking out of the walk in closet. She had long light brown hair and a gentle face. Her outfit of a green off the shoulder top and pink skirt with strawberries on it screamed sweetness.

"He talks?" Bloom asked, her surprise making her forget her manners.

"Yeah, my theory is if more plants could talk, deforestation would be dramatically reduced. It's worth trying, if it just saves one tree."

Bloom and Stella exchanged glances, as the girl's voice became more and more passionate. The girl's attention suddenly snapped back to them.

"Oh I'm sorry, I drift off sometimes. Anyway, it's my fault, I just got here and I left my stuff all over the place." She took a deep breath after her hurried monologue. "Hi, I'm Flora." She held out her hand to Bloom her hip popping out and bumping into the same plant that Bloom had stepped on. The force from Flora's hip sent the plant's pot tumbling from the desk it was sitting on, landing on the floor with a loud crash. The plant yelped and Flora's hand jerked away from Bloom's to press against her mouth.

"Can't a plant get a break around here?" The plant muttered under it's breath.

"Sorry, honey." Flora dropped down quickly to mend the plant's pot and set it back on the desk.

"Anyway, I'm Bl-" Bloom cut off at the sharp nudge in the ribs from Stella and turned her blunder into a violent cough. "Oh I'm sorry, excuse me. I'm Veranda of Vallisto."

"Vallisto: fourth planet of Magix Realms upper ring. Renown for it's rich, artistic tradition. It's a very popular holiday spot," the sudden cool voice behind them had all three of them spinning around to look at the doorway. A girl with a tall lean figure, decked out in a purple and green tracksuit was standing there a suitcase in one hand. Her most notable feature was the shock of pink hair that was cut into a fashionable bob.

It took a moment for the three of them to find their voices after the girl's sudden entrance.

"Right. Vallisto, that's my home."

"Cool, my name is Tecna."

"Veranda."

"Flora," the brunette said with a wave.

"Hey Tecna, I'm Stella. Nice to meet you."

Tecna blinked at her before understanding lit her eyes. "You are quite infamous."

Stella opened her mouth, no doubt readying herself to defend her expulsion once again when the door on the other side of the dorm opened to reveal a short girl with a big smirk.

"That's the word on the street. Hey, if you plan to blow up more stuff, let us know ahead so we can bounce. Or at least duck and cover."

The whole group suddenly struggled to contain their laughter, even Bloom, while Stella pursed her lips in mild irritation. The girl had two cute ponytails, her hair short and dark and her slightly slanted eyes made Bloom think that if she had met the girl on earth she would have thought she was at least half asian. She wore a one shoulder red singlet that showed her bellybutton and a pair of dark blue baggy jeans. She was apparently the one who owned the suitcase and had put the TV on.

"It was in the name of fashion," Stella sniffed. "I don't regret it."

"I'm curious. Were you actually able to create this new shade of pink?" Tecna asked, seemingly interested in the science involved in making a whole new shade.

"No, but when I do it's going to be the official colour of Solaria."

The newest arrival introduced herself as Musa, prompting the rest of the group to offer their names once more. The girls were just getting to know each other better and talking about their homes when they were interrupted by a sudden squeal of alarm coming from inside Flora and Bloom's room. The group hurried in to find Kiko being held upside down by a vindictive looking vine.

"Bad plant. Put him down this instant," Flora commanded. With a sullen look, the plant lowered Kiko to the floor and let go of his foot. The frightened bunny took off to hide behind Bloom's leg.

"It's ok. It's not the plant's fault. I'm betting that Kiko tried to eat it." Kiko peeked out innocently. Flora smiled at his cute little face and retrieved a pot full of soil but lacking any seeds.

"You hungry little bunny?" she asked. Flora crouched down and wriggled her fingers over the pot and several rows of carrots immediately sprouted. Kiko cooed in delight and bounded over to investigate further.

"Speaking of food, I'm starved," Stella announced.

"Me too," Tecna agreed and Flora nodded. The girls had a short discussion and decided to catch a bus into Magix City for some pizza. They headed out of their dorm and down the grand staircase discussing the city.

"You've never been," Flora asked.

"It's fresh," Musa grinned when Bloom shook her head.

The bus was just preparing to leave when the girls hurried over, bounding up the steps and snagging the last couple of seats at the front. The conversation immediately turned to a reluctant Bloom. All the girls wanted to know more about her life in Vallisto.

"I can't believe you've never left your kingdom before," Musa said.

"Yeah well my parents are pretty protective."

"Prepare to be blown away," Flora said as the bus slowed and approached a nearby bus-stop. Bloom bounced slightly in her seat, eager to see what was considered cool by the magical community.

What she saw however, was a little… disappointing. While she hadn't exactly been expecting giants and unicorns roaming the streets, she was expecting the capital of Magic and the centre of the Magic Dimension to look a little less like any other city she could find on Earth. There were people milling about, stores open and packed with people, and cars clogging the streets. There were few notable differences. For instance the cars hovered above the ground instead of having wheels. But then Bloom supposed, flying broomsticks and dragons were fairytales. This was real life.

"Well what do you think." Tecna looked at her expectantly as Bloom took in her surroundings.

"It's nice." And it was despite her initial disappointment, Bloom was beginning to see the appeal. There was a feeling of magical energy in the air, that Bloom had noticed about Alfea as well. The energy was setting every fibre of Bloom's being alight just from being there.

The second they stepped off the bus however Stella clapped a hand to forehead and turned to her dorm-mates apologetically. "I just remembered that I have to hit the bank," she said with a meaningful look at Bloom.

"Oh same actually. There's something I need to- a problem with my account," Bloom said, tripping over her excuse but luckily no one seemed to notice.

"We can wait for you," Flora offered but Stella waved her away airily before she could even finish.

"No, no, I don't want to hold you guys up. Why don't you go ahead and order the pizza and then it'll be there by the time we get there. It shouldn't take too long."

The other three exchanged glances and shrugged.

"If you're sure," Musa finally said.

"For sure," Bloom said with a smile. "We'll be right behind you."

The other three waved a goodbye and headed off while Stella lead Bloom down another street.

"So what's up?" Bloom asked her as they pushed their way into a large white marble building full of bustling people.

"You're going to need money," Stella explained as they stepped up to a free counter. "Follow my lead." She fixed her mega-watt smile on a tiny pixie who peered back at her. Bloom found herself struggling at her small size; the pixie couldn't of been any taller than the length of her forearm. "Hello, my friend needs to open an account. She has an account on earth and would like to open one here that will link to it."

The pixie returned her smile and immediately started tapping at her computer. "Easy enough," she said in a tiny, squeaky voice. "What's your name, dear?" she asked Bloom.

"Oh uh, Bloom Peters."

"And have you got your earth credit card?"

Bloom rummaged around in her wallet and produced it, handing it over to the pixie who had to hold it in two hands.

"Country of birth?"

"United States of America," she said before adding. "I live in California if that helps.

But the pixie was already smiling again and nodding. "Found you." She asked a series of question Bloom remembered answering when she set up her account originally just to confirm her identity and within a few minutes she had access to her account and was being handed a new credit card that she would be able to use in the Magic Dimension. "Now 1 US dollar converts to 1 vlosi here which is simple enough for you. And you can get 1 and 2 gold vlosi coins, and then 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 vlosi notes. Understand?"

"Yep," Bloom said. It sounded simple enough and not unlike the system on earth.

"Well then here you go," she said handing back her old credit card and her new one. "If you need anymore help, feel free to come back and ask. Have a nice night girls."

"You're really not confused?" Stella asked dubiously as they pushed on the doors and stepped back into the muggy air. Magix seemed to follow the same season as the U.S and despite it being September with the change of season upon them the lingering summer warmth continued to linger.

"It's pretty similar to back home," Bloom explained, tucking the cards away.

"See I told you, you would be fine," Stella said and they joined the bustling crowds on the streets.

As Stella had promised the pizza joint wasn't too far from the bank and even as they approached Bloom could smell the air thick with cheese and tomato sauce. They were waved down by the other girls who had snagged a table outside and the slipped into the two spare seats, accepting the water that Flora poured for them.

"Everything go alright?" Tecna asked.

"Perfect," Stella assured her.

"Pizza should be out in a few minutes," Musa told them and it seemed perfect timing because her stomach suddenly growled making the others laugh.

Stella offered up her glass of water to make a toast. "To us?"

"To us," everyone agreed.

* * *

Several storefronts down from where the girls were laughing and chatting over their meal, a familiar ogre was lumbering along ignoring the distasteful looks he was receiving from nearby pedestrians. Despite Magix being a planet for all the species of the dimension witches and ogres didn't exactly mix often with fairies, heroes and the more upstanding wizards.

The sudden sight of the two familiar fairies for the other day caught his attention and distracted him from the stares and whispers.

"Do you see those girls over there?" he rasped suddenly to a nearby store owner who was fiddling with a display and clamped a large hand down on his shoulder.

The wizard frowned down at the hand on his shoulder but followed Knut's finger pointing out at the girls. "Sure, they look like Alfea girls."

"And the blonde one, do you think that could be the Princess of Solaria?" he asked.

The man took a careful look and shifted uncomfortably before nodding shortly. "It could be. She's probably from Alfea also, you know the school year is starting tomorrow."

Knut took off without another word, his heavy thundering loudly on the pavement as he ran before he ducked into a nearby alley and withdrew the phone that had been entrusted to him by his mistresses.

"Can't mess up this time," he grunted under his breath, carefully dialling the number. The phone only rang through twice before an unusually cold voice answered with a snarl.

"Talk to me, and this had better be good or I'm going to turn you into something you didn't even think was possible."

"It's Princess Stella. I spotted her and her Earth friend too. Meet me in Witches Alley."

"Good," Knut's mistress smirked. "First we're going to catch her and take her sceptre. Then we're going to crush her into fairy dust."

* * *

While Knut was phoning his mistresses, the girls were chatting over a table of pizzas, discussing how terrible the next morning was going to be.

"Classes at 8 a.m?" Musa moaned, chewing on a wedge of pizza mournfully.

"Yeah, and you can't be a minute late or you're in big trouble," Stella sighed. Bloom across from her was having bigger troubles than early classes. She had pulled her mobile out to check and make sure she hadn't missed a call from her parents but the phone wasn't working at all, the screen refusing to light up and none of the buttons making any difference to the dark screen.

Flora noticed her new roommate's distressed look. "What's wrong, Bloom?"

"My phone won't work for some reason. It's not even trouble getting a signal, it's not turning on at all."

"Here let me see, it's kind of my specialty," Tecna held out her hand for the phone. As soon as it landed in her palm she was cracking off the back and peering at the inside of it. "I love taking these things apart." After a short time analysing the phone's contents, Tecna gave an unexpected laugh.

"What's so funny, Tecna?" Musa wanted to know.

"This 'mobile phone' is ancient technology. It belongs in a museum," Tecna giggled replacing the back and handing it back to it's owner. Bloom gaped at the phone. It was practically new, having only owned the phone for less than a month.

"But it's the newest phone," she protested numbly and bit back a curse when a foot kicked her suddenly in the shin. Stella shot her a meaningful look. _Yeah on Earth but not here,_ Stella tried to convey telepathically and based on the understanding dawning on Bloom's face she had gotten the general message.

"It could be the energy of Magix," Stella said casually, trying not to let it slip that she was bullshitting her excuse. "I've heard it can mess with another realms technology sometimes." Stella huffed a quiet sigh of relief when the girl's make sounds of agreement. Only Tecna seemed skeptical of her theory but Stella had half expected that. Tecna being from Zenith, the realm of technology would know absolutely everything on the matter.

After a moment, Tecna seemed to put it behind her and started to dig around in her pockets. "You need an inter-realm phone to call Vallisto," she explained before finally extracting what looked like a credit card. "There's a trans-dimensional one two blocks away that will be able to handle it. You can use my card."

Bloom took the card, expressing her thanks and hurried off. It took Bloom no time at all to find the phone booth as it looked very similar to the ones they had on Earth. She inserted the card at the base of the machine and following the helpful instructions, dialled her home phone. After several rings, her mother picked up.

"Hey mum."

"Oh honey, it's so nice to hear your voice. How is everything? Are you getting on okay?"

"Everything is great. Classes start tomorrow and I'm all settled into my dorm. I'm sharing with Stella and three other girls. We're actually out having pizza right now."

"That's so great," Vanessa replied and Bloom could hear the relief in her voice.

Out of the corner of her eye Bloom suddenly noticed a sprinting figure through the glass door of the telephone booth. After two fights with the creature, Bloom would be able to spot Knut the ogre anywhere. She reluctantly interrupted her mother in the middle of her sentence, knowing she couldn't let the ogre get away again.

"Uh mum, I kind of have to go."

"Oh but honey, we only just started talking," Vanessa said sadly.

"I'm sorry mum but I'm using my friends phone card and I don't want to spend to much longer on here," Bloom rose on tiptoe to keep her gaze on the quickly disappearing figure. "I'll call you from the dorm in the morning I promise. Kiss Dad for me. Ok bye." Bloom banged the receiver down, snagged the card and took off, pushing her way through the congested streets, in that same direction Knut had gone.

* * *

Knut arrived in Witches Alley, slightly puffing and panting from running so fast. He had left behind the streets inhabited by fairies and heroes and entered downtown which the witches commanded. He slowed as he waded further in, cautious of the shadows that were gathering along the walls. His small eyes darted around at an alarming rate trying to distinguish shapes into the darkness. A noise from directly ahead of him had his head swinging around and eyes narrowing. Three figures emerged from the shadows there, cool smirks on each of their faces. His mistresses.

From the way he feared them one might have expected ancient witches with years worth of knowledge and experience. But instead there stood three teenagers.

The figure in the centre and the trio's leader materialised first looking as cool and dangerous as ever. Her long colourless hair was pulled up into its usual high ponytail accentuating her sharp cheekbones and emotionless eyes which were as pale as her eyes. Fittingly her name was Icy.

On her right, another figure emerged from the black, her appearance the total opposite to Icy's. Where Icy was all height, sharp lines and angles, calm and collected, Stormy was shorter, all curves, hectic, wild and not the least bit unstable and unpredictable. Her hair was a cascade of mauve curls and seemed to almost conduct their own electricity.

The third witch was different yet again from the other two. She wasn't short and round like Stormy nor tall and sharp like Icy. Darcy's hair was just as long as Icy's but hung free, long enough to almost sweep the ground and there was a mystery to her dark eyes and coy smile that made her opponents always feel as though she knew something they didn't.

Each of the three witches were dangerous in their own right but together known as the Trix they were absolutely treacherous and Knut knew enough to watch himself when he was around them.

As dangerous and powerful as they were none of them seemed to notice the small figure with a shock of bright hair who had edged into the alley and had hidden not far from where they were standing.

Icy spoke first, her cold tone biting, "Well?"

Knut was dumbfounded for a mere second at the very sudden appearance of his mistresses but quickly regained his composure. "I saw Princess Stella on Wand Avenue. She had that girl with her as well."

Bloom realising he could only mean her ducked even further behind the crates, wishing she knew a spell that could make her invisible. Or any spell at all.

"She was wearing her Solaria ring," Knut was saying.

"Good. I need that ring," Icy snarled.

Darcy, bored with all the small talk of fairies and rings allowed her senses to explore the small alley; her friends always thought she was overly cautious but she would rather be safe than sorry. Her powers were derived from hypnosis and psychosis which allowed her to have a clear understanding of her immediate surroundings. It took her little more than a moment to notice the extra being crouched in the alley nearby. Another moment and she knew that it was a fairy.

"Ladies," she murmured catching the attention of the others. "I sense we have an uninvited guest. I'll split and go take care of it shall I?" She lifted her fingertips to her temple and thought hard for a moment, conjuring up a copy of herself that appeared next to her.

"Sometimes I forget how pretty I am," the doppelganger commented making the other Darcy giggle before vanishing from sight.

Behind the crates Bloom was straining to hear the conversation going on but was only catching every other word. What was more Bloom couldn't even see what was going on. She shifted slightly and peered through a crack between two pieces of wood.

"There were other girls there too," Knut told the witches making Bloom's blood boil at the thought of Knut telling who she assumed was his mistresses about her new friends. Unfortunately Bloom was so caught up with what was happening in front of her that she failed to notice the witch sneaking up behind her.

"Look what I found, girls."

Bloom spun around with a fearful yelp but was sent flying by a flash of purple before she could form a single word. She landed painfully on the pavement only a few feet away from the trio and ogre. She could feel gravel pressing into a skin and was sure a bruise was already forming on her hip. The feelings however were all pushed from her mind when she heard a lazy drawl coming from above her.

"Well hello." Bloom's head snapped up to meet a pair of ice blue eyes. She scrambled into something of a sitting position, fully aware that she was trapped on all sides by strangers. They looked nothing like any of the fairies Bloom had met at Alfea and were completely unlike Stella with her sunny disposition and Flora with her kind words. She noticed with a pang of worry that she had followed Knut out of the bustling of the city and into a deserted part of downtown.

"Who are you?"

"Who are we?" The calm girl who had first spoken was gone and replaced with someone out of control with rage. But then between one blink of the eye and the next, the girl in blue had lost all her rage again. It turned Bloom's head to keep up with it and made her think the girl might not be completely stable. "Well we are witches of Cloud Tower."

Bloom blinked, momentarily stunned by her words to forget her fear and get a proper look at her first encounter with witches. Stella had said they were the ancestors of fae and Bloom could definitely see it, with their cruel smiles and eyes alight with malice. Something about their presence turned her stomach.

Darcy couldn't help but put in, "And we're senior witches."

"Nobody messes with senior witches," Stormy added.

"Right, I'll just be going then," Bloom said, scrambling to her feet. A hand clamped on her shoulder prevented her from moving another inch. Knut had materialised behind her and his hand on her shoulder was like a steel band keeping her in place.

"But if you tell us where your friend Stella is, we _might_ forgive you," Icy went on acting as though Bloom hadn't spoken at all.

"Look back off, alright," Bloom commanded quickly getting irritated with being bossed around. "I wasn't looking for any trouble." A few sparks erupted from her outstretched hands without her consent but fell short of any of the witches. The witches exploded into laughter, Knut grunting an odd chuckle as well while Bloom's face burned with embarrassment.

"The poor girl barely has winx," Icy cackled. "Here, let me show you some _real_ magic." Snow drifted from Icy's palm causing treacherous icles to explode from the ground. Bloom dodged them as best she could but every so often she could feel the biting cold and sharp sting of being hit by one. "Join in girls."

Darcy laughed and piercing notes filled the air, drumming through Bloom's skull painfully. She clutched at her head praying for the pain to end. Eventually it did, the ice on the ground exploding suddenly and pushing her back off her feet. She immediately rolled onto her knees, knowing the only way she would have any hope of surviving these attacks would be on her feet. But she was too slow and a tornado created by Stormy caught her and tossed her in the air. On her way down she managed to grab ahold of a nearby ledge jutting out for a building, preferring that to the hard landing she knew was coming. She held on for dear life, not prepared to face any more attacks from the three witches.

* * *

Tecna checked her watch for the umpteenth time that minute. The girls were just finishing their meal and Bloom had been missing for almost fifteen minutes now. All of the girls had noticed her absence, but they had all assumed she was still talking to her parents. They thought she was bound to want a long conversation with them it being the first time out of her kingdom. But Tecna had a sinking feeling that something had gone wrong.

"Where is Veranda?" she said, finally cracking under concern. "She should be back by now."

The others turned to her, their expressions slowly morphing into concern as they too noticed their new friends absence.

"I'm not sure but I think it's time to go look for her." At Flora's words the group paid for their meal and hurried to their feet, determined to find her.

* * *

Still clinging from the ledge, Bloom was doing some fast thinking, desperately trying to ignore the pain building up in her arms and hands. She knew with her powers being so unreliable, she wouldn't be able to get away from the witches. But she also knew that she couldn't hang from this ledge until they got bored and left. Firstly, she doubted the witches would leave her alone now. And secondly, she knew from the pain escalating in her limbs that she wouldn't be able to hang on for much longer. Her fast thinking was cut off however by the snarl of Icy.

"Get down here." A burst of Icy's magic had her yanked from the ledge thrown to the ground. Pain exploded all over Bloom's body from the hard landing. The gravel tore the skin from her exposed arms and bruises began to form on her legs. "I hate to be a total bitch about it, but I'm running out of patience very quickly."

Bloom ignored her focussed on getting back on her feet which seemed to anger Icy even more. Bloom had just made it to a somewhat vertical position when ice flew at her, courtesy of Icy and encased the girl. The entire world faded away, becoming nothing more than a searing cold sensation. There were no more witches, no ogre and no friends. All she could think about was the cold pressing in on her from all sides.

Outside the ice, Icy giggled menacingly. "Fairies can't last long on ice." She strode up to the ice block and scratched a long finger nail down causing an ear splitting screech. Bloom blinked at her sluggishly, her brain feeling frozen. "You'd better start talking. Tell us where Stella is."

"I'm right here." The smug voice had the three witches whirling around. Stella, Musa, Flora and Tecna stood at the mouth of the alley glaring at the group. "Let her go now," she snarled.

Icy gave a short laugh. "Yeah right, that's not going to happen. Knut, time for you to step up and crush those fairies."

Knut jumped at her yell but hastened to obey, running at the girls with a deafening roar. Time slowed to a stop as the girls burst into action, their clothes transforming into their fairy forms.

Tecna's tracksuit disappeared and was replaced with an all in one body suit of the same colour and clunky boots, the outfit complete with small green digital wings. Her pink hair was swept under an attached hood.

Musa's baggy jeans and crop top became a red dress with red netting covering her midsection, a pair of knee high red boots, a pair of purple headphones and armbands, and small blue wings.

Flora was suddenly dressed in a pink strapless dress with the skirt resembling flowers of a petal, pink boots and handless gloves, a flower necklace and green wings. All of the girls' outfits glittered in the same unnatural way that Stella's did.

Stella appeared in her orange outfit. All four of them fluttered desperately in the air, moving out of the reaching hands of Knut. Tecna attacked first shoot a string of green light at the ogre encasing Knut in a digital sphere. " _Digital Web."_

" _Sonic Blast."_ At Musa's command two speakers appeared on either side of Knut blasting music that shook the very street. The soundwaves bombarded the trapped Knut causing his entire body to tremble.

Normally so sweet Flora, narrowed her eyes dangerously feeling no compassion for the ogre who'd hurt her friends. " _Ivy Rope_." She blew a soft breath, green flowers fluttering from her breath to the ground, growing into a long vine which snuck it's way into the forcefield to wrap several times around Knut. The vine tugged him back and forth before throwing him to the back of the alley where he slumped against the wall. From where the witches were watching, they groaned and buried their heads in their hands, watching the ogre get tossed around by four young fairies.

"What a useless ogre." Icy glared at the group of fairies. "That's it. All right little freshman, you are done." Icy strode towards the girls - the other two flanking her - summoning a wall of ice shards as she went. An easy flick of her wrist had the deadly shards flinging themselves at the girls at an alarming rate.

Tecna moved faster than should be humanly possible, conjuring a green shield to big enough to cover her and the girls. "Stay behind me," she ordered and the girls scrambled to obey. The shards hit the wall harmlessly and bounced off, disappearing. Stormy growled in irritation.

"I've got something special for you fairies," Stormy threatened, faking her sugary sweet tone. "How about a lightning bolt?" Stormy thrust her hand in the air towards the slowly darkening sky. Obeying her order, the sky suddenly lit up with lightning, the bolt headed straight for the girls. The lightning had no where near the power of real lightning bolt but enough to send the fairies tumbling through the air when it struck.

"How about an _Ice Coffin?_ " The deep dark magic required for the spell required an incantation that Icy had to chant. " _From the depths of primordial space, I summon a box with a frigid embrace. Bring me the power to the palm of my hand and unleash it at my command._ " The girls groaned from where they had fallen, the pain from the lightning strike keeping them from getting up.

While Icy was busy completing the spell, Stella stumbled to her feet. " _Sun Power."_ Stella interrupted. Her ring shot from her hand, transformed and zoomed back into it's owner's hand. " _Transportus."_ she demanded with a swipe of her sceptre. Just as Icy raised her hand to attack the girls, they disappeared, bringing Bloom who was close to losing consciousness in her ice cage along with them.

Icy couldn't believe her eyes and blinked stupidly for a minute. Slowly it dawned on her that the power of the Solaria ring as well as the meddling Earth girl had slipped away yet again. "No." she screamed. "Not again."

* * *

Several streets away at the bus stop, five girls appeared in a huddle in the middle of the pavement. For the citizens of Magix this was a daily occurance, so the remaining residents out and about at the late hour merely skirted around the crouching girls and continued on their way.

Bloom lay a little away from the other four, the entire body shivering from the ordeal it had just been through. Stella rose from her couch and hurried over, her hands already glowing with warmth to heat the frozen fairy.

"It's alright, it's alright," she soothed over the sound of chattering teeth. Bloom blinked up at her languidly, as the feeling slowly returned to her face, fingers and toes. Stella could feel with just one touch that fortunately the cold hadn't penetrated much further than Bloom's skin. If it had Stella would have had a lot more trouble helping her. "You could've survived at least another fifteen minutes in that ice. You know, considering you're from Earth and all, I think you did splendidly, Bloom. You were very brave," her hands rubbed up and down Blooms arms, thawing the frozen skin, her voice babbling subconsciously about who knows what. Her hands automatically healed the torn skin and reduced any swelling around the bruises. She however froze completely when the three girls behind her spoke.

"Stella…"

It registered, tiredly somewhere in Bloom's brain that something unfortunate had just occurred but she automatically rerouted the thought to a box labeled 'Think about much, much, much later'. Stella spun around nimbly in her crouched position, staring up at her friends who had their hands on their hips and eyebrows raised.

"Why did you just call her Bloom and say that she's from planet Earth?" Flora asked.

"Yes, is there something we need to know about _Veranda of Vallisto_?" Tecna asked, a small smirk playing on her lips. She had had a hunch that there was something fishy about the red-headed girl and she was a tiny bit smug that she was right.

"Oh. Uh… right… there might be some tiny minor details that we need to fill you in on.." she trailed off at the unimpressed looks she was receiving. "Look, we've already missed curfew. I'll explain everything on the way back to Alfea."

Bloom still delirious from the near-miss with her life, giggled at the looks on her friends faces.

* * *

The ride on the bus back to Alfea was fraught with conversation, questions and explanations. Stella and Bloom had to recount their story of running into the ogre in the park, Bloom saving Stella, going back home to Bloom's, the ogre's second attack and the decision to go to Alfea. By the end of the story, the girls understood why they had lied about Bloom's identity and had decided not to hold any grudges.

"Forgive and forget, right," Flora smiled.

The remainder of the short ride passed in relative silence, the group drained and sore from the fight. Bloom spent the relaxing ride thinking about her future life at Alfea. She hated lying and honestly wasn't sure if she could continue through life living a lie to the rest of her classmates.

They were departing the bus when she finally admitted what she was thinking. "I think I wanna tell Ms Faragonda the truth."

Stella looked worried about the idea and shushed her, glancing around the deserted quad carefully. The quad was so different to how it had been this morning, so full of people and light, now dark and not a single soul in sight. It was very late. "We'll talk about it later. For now follow me."

They walked as fast as they could without making any noise on the loose gravel that made up the pathways. Stella winced at every single crunch of shoes. They were so close, almost at the front doors when a spotlight suddenly shone down on them. Stella cursed under her breath.

"Freeze." The tone of Griselda's voice told the girls all they needed to know about how much trouble they would be getting in. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

Ms Faragonda's voice joined the fray. "We were worried about you girls." The two teachers appeared before the cowering group, one looking terrifying, the other disappointed. "Go to bed right away and we'll talk about this in the morning.

"Hold it right there, right now Princess Veranda. What did you want to tell Ms Faragonda?" Those words told the girls that they had been followed from the moment they had set a foot off the bus.

"Right. Well, the thing is I'm not actually Veranda and I'm not from Vallisto," Bloom stuttered, trying to hold on to the courage to continue while Stella tried to shake her head at her subtly.

"What." Griselda was rightfully outraged. "You lied to us?"

"I'm sorry."

"You have broken two rules in one day. I think that may be a new record," Griselda thundered, shooting Stella a glare, who had obviously been the previous record holder.

"She did…" Ms Faragonda agreed making Bloom hang her head in shame. "...but she must be a magical creature or the barrier would have kept her out of the school. So tell me, who are you and why did you lie to us?"

"Well-" Bloom started but was cut off by a frantic Stella. Stella could see Bloom's confidence wavering and having been in trouble countless times herself she was way to used to the situation.

"Don't blame her, it was all my idea. She didn't want to lie but Princess V changed her mind about coming here and the opportunity was too good to pass up."

"It's ok Stella," Bloom interrupted, surprising Stella. "My name's Bloom Peters and I come from Earth."

"As in planet Earth?" Griselda turned to Faragonda a wordless question forming in her eyes.

"But please, don't send me back home. I know I belong here, this is the most amazing place with the most awesome people ever."

The girls behind her cooed at the compliment.

"Well, you must be punished." Griselda had apparently gotten over her confusion quickly. "Turned into something slimy, I think." She turned to the Headmistress for confirmation.

"She did break the rules…" Ms Faragonda started causing Griselda to smirk a little evilly and Bloom to tense for the transformation spell but then the headmistress continued. "However, it took a lot of courage to speak up as she did. I don't think a punishment is necessary and of course you can stay. You can take Princess Veranda's spot." Griselda looked thoroughly put out at the lack of punishment but nodded in agreement anyway. Bloom on the other hand was struggling to contain a wide beam. "Now go to bed," Faragonda instructed. She added one last thing with a weary sigh, "And please try to be good."

"Yes Ma'am." The five said in unison, Musa adding a cheeky salute. The group took off for the stairs whooping and shoving each other as they laughed. The two teachers watched them go, smiling at their antics.

Their dorm room was quiet and warm when they burst into it and fraught with sleepiness they five friends immediately peeled off from each other, calling out wishes for sweet dreams to each other and Tecna promising Bloom she'd help her order a new phone online the next day.

Bloom moved slowly into her room following Flora, feeling acutely all the cuts and bruises she'd sustained in her fights and she just knew she was going to be in a world of pain the next day. She groaned quietly as she peeled off her gritty clothes and changed into her pyjamas, slipping into the warm sheets of her bed looking around at her new room.

The walls were painted a tasteful pale purple and a large built in wardrobe ran along most of the wall Bloom's bed was against. The room didn't have the wall of windows Stella had but did have enough that they could look out onto the quad if they wanted and opened out onto a balcony. Flora's bed sat across from Blooms and in the corner of the room closest to the balcony on a slightly raised platform sat a large study nook complete with two twin desks and several bookcases. Bloom sighed, she loved it.

Hearing the noise a pair of warm, brown eyes peered through the now dark room from the other bed.

"Everything alright, Bloom?"

"Yeah," Bloom sighed, blinking languidly, a small smile on her face.

"How was your first day in the Magic Dimension?"

Bloom stared at the ceiling for a long moment even as her smile grew and she considered the question. She thought about the witches, the pain of her body and the fear of walking into a school full of fairies but then she also thought about her new friends and how they had come to rescue her. "I loved it."

* * *

Out on the quad Headmistress Faragonda and Professor Griselda continued to walk around the deserted quad despite the late hour, marvelling over Bloom's existence.

"I didn't think there were and magic beings left on Earth," Ms Faragonda murmured eyes on the stars.

"Me either," Griselda agreed. "I thought they all died centuries ago."

"Well then, who is Bloom?" Faragonda asked after a long pause. The couple lapsed into silence, neither having any answer to the headmistress' question. There was no more discussion as they mounted the steps towards the castle and the two parted ways, the night becoming silent once more.

* * *

 **Hope you liked the chapter, let me know what you thought with a review xx**


	3. Chapter 3

Early the next morning, a class of 20 nervous freshman stood in a sun-lit hallway of the Alfea castle. Only one person in the group was totally and completely carefree and that was Stella, who knew exactly what to expect. The others despite having been surrounded by magic their entire lives found themselves about to enter a class in the best school in the dimension. Tecna, for instance was pacing while mumbling furiously under her breath everything she had ever learned about magic. On the other side of the scale, Musa was seated cross legged on the floor with her head tipped back against the wall, fingers idly tapping out a beat and she wondered what they were going to learn in the lesson. Bloom who was new to both magic and attending such a prestigious school was feeling quite faint as she speculated on just how hard metamorphosis was going to be. Stella was watching her face with an amused little smile on her face, not bothering to reassure her friends as she knew it would be no use. Nothing she could say would calm their nerves.

The students were torn from their worrying by the sudden opening of the door to their classroom. The class sucked in a collective gasp as they waited for their teacher to appear but as the seconds ticked by with their eyes trained on the open doorway and no one appeared they slowly let it out again. A terrified looking girl finally took a hesitant step into the doorway only to jump back with a yelp when a high-pitched voice spoke to her from around her feet.

"Please don't step on me, Miss. That's a girl. Come in, come in."

Trading bemused glances the class finally filed into the room to meet the seemingly invisible professor with a high-pitched voice. As it turned out the professor turned out not to be invisible after all just rather short, a mere 3 feet as they saw when they entered. He had clambered up onto the front desk and was gesturing them to their seats with a smile.

"What is he?" Bloom asked in an undertone to Stella as they slipped into the seats in the middle.

"Leprechaun," Stella murmured back casually as though that didn't raise a whole slew of other questions for Bloom. Namely just how many of the fairytales she had heard growing up were real?

But then the professor started talking and Bloom focussed on the front, knowing that she had double the amount to learn than anyone else.

"Good morning and welcome to Metamorphosis 101. This is your first class of the year, a year which is full of great potential and limitless possibilities. Now for those who haven't met me yet my name is Professor Wizgiz and I will be taking you for the duration of your school career. Metamorphosis is the art of changing how you appear and once you master it, you can turn into anything. Let me give you a little preview. Look at me now, an average leprechaun, yes? Now a little tug here, a bit of magic there and look…"

The leprechaun tugged at his ear and his whole body vibrated for a moment and then he disappeared and suddenly in his place sat Griselda, complete with tunic dress, stockings and old-fashioned shows.

"...at me now."

The girls rocked back in their seats in shock, little gasps escaping their mouths when they heard the familiar fear inducing voice.

"Don't worry girls, I'm not really the Queen of Detention," Professor Wizgiz said. The students burst into applause at the little show, laughing at the Professor who was acting mock strict, pointing his finger at them.

"But that's nothing, by the end of the year you'll be doing much more. And the beauty of this magic is that you can always go back to your original self." Another tug of his ear had the Professor shrinking back to his normal self. "But for now we'll start with the basics." Mirrors popped into existence in front of the students with an easy snap of Wizgiz's fingers. Stella immediately picked up the mirror, checking her reflection for any imperfections. Bloom took the mirror slower, waiting to hear to hear the task Wizgiz was going to set. "I want you to look into the mirror and concentrate on changing the colour of your hair. Focus all your winx and off you go."

The class got to work and the classroom noise shot up, mirrors clattering and friends talking excitedly to each other. There was a general air of disappointment for the first ten minutes of effort however. The whole exercise was not as easy as they had initially thought. Flora's face was pulling a bizarre face at the effort and Musa's was bright red from holding her breath as she concentrated. Bloom was trying as hard as she could, but getting no results. It seemed that no matter how hard she concentrated or focussed her locks were stubbornly refusing to change from their usual shade of red.

At the fifteen minute mark, Professor Wizgiz didn't seem worried at the lack of results. It was their first lesson after all and the girl were instructed to keep trying. It was not long after this that there was a shout of triumph. The class turned, Bloom among them to see Audrey, a previously dirty blonde now sporting half a head of golden locks. Wizgiz bounded over, his steps exceedingly springy and showered congratulations on the girl who accepted the praise with a beam. Her smile drooped slightly when the Professor restored her hair colour with a snap of his fingers and she was instructed to once again try until she could do it perfectly.

Next he wandered over to Bloom to check on her progress.

"Hello, Bloom, I hear you're from planet Earth."

"Yes, Professor."

"Well I realise this must be quite the culture shock for you. If you need anything just let me know." He smiled at her encouragingly and she murmured her thanks. Then he nodded at her mirror pointedly and she lifted it, looked into and concentrated on changing her hair colour to Stella's golden blonde. But a minute passed and she saw no results and disappointed she set down the mirror again. Wizgiz patted her hand comfortingly and bounded on.

"Keep trying girls!"

Another fifteen minutes passed without incident before Tecna dropped her mirror with a clatter. Bloom looked around to see a grinning Tecna with a green fringe that clashed horribly with her magenta hair. After that it only took Stella another five minutes to turn her entire head of hair a tasteful auburn. The rest of the class continued like this for the remaining thirty minutes until everyone in the class had had some degree of success except for Bloom. Whenever she had tried to change her hair colour she had felt nothing at all. No tingling in her fingertips or feeling of energy building in the pit of her stomach, two signs she had noticed the few times she had performed magic.

Professor Wizgiz wandered past collecting the mirrors and handing out syllabus' for the year. When he finished he stood on his desk at the front and looked across at them all. 'Take a good look at this tonight and be prepared to try again. And don't be discouraged if you didn't do so well today; you know what they always say: if at first you don't succeed, try again. The key to success if to practice, practice, practice."

Bloom's smile was small but it was there and he nodded to them before letting them go to their next class.

Later that afternoon, Bloom sprawled out on her bed with a pounding headache. Musa and Tecna had retreated to their own room for a nap before dinner but Flora was pottering around on the other side of the room and Stella was keeping her company on the edge of her bed.

"What's wrong, Bloom?" Stella asked, watching as Bloom rubbed at her tired eyes.

"I just didn't expect it to be so hard," she sighed.

Their day had been full, having another class after the first before taking a break for morning tea, attended another two classes, had lunch and had a final two classes before being released for a couple of hours of freedom before dinner and Bloom had struggled through the whole day. She'd been acutely aware of her ignorance in her theory classes, had stumbled her way through her potions class, hadn't been able to produce so much as a spark in any of her practical classes and had almost broken her wrist along with Stella's nose in their physical defence class. Bloom was not looking forward to their flying lesson the next morning, especially considering she had yet to work out to transform into her fairy form. Across the room Flora hummed sympathetically and she drifted around watering the many plants that decorated her side of the room.

Stella however huffed a sigh. "I'm only going to say this one more time, ok? It's the first day of school, if you don't get it today, it's not a big deal. Besides people who have been around magic their whole lives struggle here, you in comparison have known about magic for exactly three days now and are in my opinion doing amazingly."

"Here, here," Flora put in unexpectedly and Bloom managed a tired smile.

"You guys aren't going to let me feel sorry for myself, are you?"

"Nope," Stella said with a shake of her head. "All you need is is a practice. But not tonight," Stella added sternly when Bloom moved to get up.

Bloom smiled and sunk back against the pillows. "You know where I come from there's this saying: don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today."

"Well, where I come from, we have no such saying. We're much more relaxed and I am thankful for it. Come on, Bloom, tiring yourself out isn't going to help anyone," she continued even as Bloom got up from the bed to stand in front the mirrored wardrobe doors. She sighed as she watched her friend's retreating back and took Bloom's position slumped against the pillows.

"I can do this," Bloom coached out loud. "It's just like when I had to learn to highjump back home."

"That's the spirit," Stella murmured sleepily, eyes sliding closed as she decided that a nap before dinner was the best idea Musa and Tecna had had in the short time she'd known them.

"Stella please."

The blonde fairy opened a single eyes slowly at her friend's desperate tone to find Bloom staring over at her determinedly. With an agonised sigh, Stella hauled herself up right and rubbed at her eyes.

"Alright," she said. "I want you to think of a colour and imagine your hair starting to change; the new colour slowly spreading from the very roots right to the tip."

"Ok. I can do that." Bloom squinted at herself in the mirror, imagining her hair becoming a deep chestnut brown. She pictured her face with her mother's hair and felt a faint tingling coming from within her. Her excitement peaked. _Something is finally happening,_ she thought giddily. And that's when it happened. The mental picture slipped and she lost sight of her chestnut hair. The tingling feeling disappeared and her hair blew around as if in a strong wind and became tangled and knotted. Bloom groaned in irritation and turned to Stella. "Great, see what I end up with?"

"I told you not to try when you were tired, Bloom," Stella said matter-of-factly. "Look," she continued at Bloom's unimpressed glare. "You just need to clear everything else from your mind and not let yourself get distracted. Right, Flora?" Stella looked to the brunette for support but Flora was bent over a plant and engrossed in the leaves.

"At least something happened and that's progress," she said absently not even sparing a glance at the nightmare that was Bloom's hair. And that was too much for Stella who burst into hysterical laughter falling off the bed with a thump, which drew Flora's attention. She caught sight of Bloom's hurricane inspired hair and it was to her everlasting credit that all she said was, "Oh." Even that seemed to amuse Stella, who just laughed harder. "Stop laughing," she reprimanded lightly though she was now struggling to hold back her own giggles.

But Bloom didn't seem to be too mad and was smiling a little herself. "God I look ridiculous." She walked back over to the bed and collapsed onto the edge of it.

"You just need some practice." Flora sat behind Bloom on the bed and began picking apart the tangles in her hair. Stella finally seemed to be calm down and climbed back onto the bed, still giggling occasionally. Between her and Flora they untangled Bloom's hair in a few minutes.

"You know I don't think I've ever had such a rough day," Bloom said flopping back against her pillows. Flora rolled off the bed and wandered back over to her plants picking up her cute pink watering can to continue tending to her flowers.

"First day is always like that," Stella clucked sympathetically swinging her legs around to sit cross-legged.

"Hey can I ask you guys something?"

"Of course."

"Uh huh."

"Why are you guys here at Alfea. I mean there has to be schools in your own realm so why here?"

"Because I'm going to become a real fairy: successful, beautiful, powerful and universally admired." Stella declared loftily but didn't miss the smirk Bloom and Flora shared. "Of course I'll do other things, like making people happy, and ruling my kingdom… and Alfea is the best place to learn to do that."

"I want to become a full fairy as well," Flora agreed. "The learning in my realm is all centered around plants but I love to learn and I want to learn everything." Her smile became a bit sad as she continued, "And I want to be able to protect my realm."

"Woah." Stella didn't seemed to have noticed the change in Flora's mood and looked truly impressed by her answer. The next moment the sadness was gone and Flora was smiling sheepishly at Stella's reaction. That is until she continued to speak. "That is such a nerdy answer." Flora flung a pillow across the room smacking Stella in the head in retaliation.

"What about you Bloom?" Flora giggled. Bloom sighed and climbed off the bed thinking hard about the answer. She scooped Kiko up from his bed where he was dozing peacefully and wandered over to the window which overlooked the quad. When she had first heard about Alfea, it had been obvious that she had to go here. But now that she was here she wasn't sure what she was working towards. "I think that's the problem. I have no idea what I'm doing here."

* * *

"I hope today is a better day," Bloom said over breakfast the next morning.

"You know, the learning curve for the first semester at a new school is quite steep. It's understandable if you have trouble adjusting," Tecna said logically. Stella grimaced at the tactless word choice but chose not to draw attention to it.

Standing from her seat in the centre of the teachers table - which stretched proudly across the front of the hall - Ms Faragonda clapped her hands twice, the sounds echoing, to draw attention to herself. The sounds of conversation died down pretty much straight away and each student twisted in their seat to stare at the headmistress expectantly.

"As some of you may know it is tradition among the schools in the area to have an annual formal dance. Our back to school gala will take place tonight which means all classes after lunch are cancelled. You can go into town if you require a dress and we welcome volunteers to decorate the ballroom. All students are welcome to attend and the students from the Red Fountain School for Heroics and Bravery will also be in attendance."

The noise level in the dining hall shot up at once. The students broke out into excited whispers at the prospect of having boys at the formal dance.

"Ladies, ladies, your attention please. As I was saying I am expecting you to be warm and friendly hostesses and make them feel right at home-"

"But no too friendly," Griselda cut in, looking disapproving of the whole idea. "Faculty will be in attendance as chaperones and love spells and crush potions are strictly forbidden."

"But dancing is encouraged and the boys will bring surprise gifts for all. I'm sure you'll all have a lovely time and it will be an evening full of enchantment. Now off to lessons girls."

Across the enchanted forest, in the middle of a murky looking lake stood the Cloud Tower school for witches. The tall, spindling tower stood on a sheer rocky cliff, a narrow and rickety pathway led up to the towers entrance. In the Grand Hall the entire school was assembled sitting in distinctly throne-like chairs as they waited for their Headmistress to address them.

"There she is," a nervous looking freshman with green hair pointed out to her friend just as the Headmistress swept down the aisle near them.

"She's so freaky looking," her friend whispered back.

Professor Griffin mounted the steps of the stage and situated herself before the podium. The Headmistress was certainly strange looking. Her skin was so pale that it almost had a green tint and she had large purple hair. Her dress was distinctly olden looking with it's large stiff collar, old-fashioned red fabric and long blue sleeves. Even her face seemed out of proportion, her eyes much larger than the rest of her features and her mouth set into a permanent half-smirk, half-scowl.

"Young witches, I hope your first day yesterday was full of nastiness and trouble-making. I have summoned you here this morning as I have some exciting news: we will kick off the new year with a school-wide competition and it will be certainly… wicked. The aim is simple:," Griffin smirked at the cheering students. "I want you to sabotage Alfea's _precious_ back-to-school dance. It is the duty of every witch to ruin a fairy's life every chance you get and this is the perfect opportunity to show me what you've got. And besides the winners will receive a gift certificate to Aberzombie & Witch. I encourage proposals for your plan to be submitted by lunch; they should be double-spaced and bound. The chosen winner should be ready to carry out their plan tonight. May the worst witch win." The Headmistress moved on to other matters happening around the school but a certain three witches had ceased to pay attention.

"This could be the perfect chance to get Stella's ring. Should we come up with a plan to submit to old Griffin?" Darcy asked peering at her friends.

"Why not." Icy remarked. "I'm not doing anything else tonight.

"But the point is to sabotage the party. Besides I don't want to spend my whole night at a stupid pixie party," Stormy whined, crossing her arms like a petulant child.

"We'll kill two birds with one stone and trust me Stormy, dear, it _will_ be fun."

"A party is only as good as what you wear to it," Stella lectured, her voice floating from her room and out into the lounge room where Bloom was sitting. The rest of the girls were in their own rooms preparing to show off their dresses. Bloom's eyes never left the textbook she was reading and she only looked up when Stella appeared in the doorway, coughing expectantly.

"Wow," Bloom said eyeing the gorgeous dress Stella was wearing. It was full length with an orange skirt, blue detailing and a bikini style top that was bound to show a lot of her tanned skin

"I know right," Stella sighed admiring herself in the mirror. "It's an Iwink Wizrahi. I maxed out the credit card Daddy gave me but I didn't have a choice. It was screaming out: ' _Buy me. Buy me please.'_ "

"And of course you answered it's plea," Bloom giggled.

"It's fresh," Musa commented pulling the room's attention. She was decked out in a red and pink outfit that was complimented by her dark hair. The top was off the shoulder, exposing her creamy skin. The top fell to her hips and had long sleeves. Musa had added flared pants underneath that completed the outfit. She had traded her usual purple headphones for a red pair.

"Woah you look amazing," Bloom said sitting up and peering at her interesting outfit. It shouldn't work together, the clashing colours and unconventional style but somehow with Musa's confidence and attitude she made it look good.

"I'm not sure about this one," Flora said emerging from her and Bloom's room. She was wearing a pink gown complete with a long skirt. The strapless bodice was a deep pink while the skirt was lighter, a row of flowers embroidered in a line starting at her hip and ending near the hem. The bottom had a few green vines and green vines had also been attached to the bodice to create a halter neck that continued down to wrap around the tops of her arms.

"You look beautiful," Bloom assured her, slumping back across the lounge.

Her feet were kicked up on the arm of the chair when Tecna emerged from her room. Her dress was very strange looking. The fabric was mauve and lime green and had an unusual shining quality to it. The top split just under her bust and fell to the ground revealing a tight short mini dress underneath it. She paired the outfit with soft knee high boots and a white clunky headband. Something that strange shouldn't have looked as good as it did but something about Tecna's cool smile and magenta hair perfected the look.

"How do I look?" she asked.

"It's interesting," Musa said peering at the dress bemusedly. "Where'd you get it, Mars?"

"I researched it thoroughly. This is the latest in fabric technology."

"At least it won't wrinkle," Stella said. She frowned down at her hand where her magical ring was perched. "My ring doesn't go, it's the wrong blue. I'll have to choose something else," she sighed.

"I hear the guys from Red Fountain are really cute," Flora giggled, remembering something she had overheard from the older students.

"Like I care," Tecna answered loftily.

"Then why are you dressed like an absolute diva," Musa laughed.

Tecna flushed almost as dark as her hair but managed a logical response none-the-less. "It's a ceremony and I am dressing accordingly.

"Ha ha, sure." Stella looked amused. She took in Bloom's depressed form. "What about you, what are you going to wear?"

"I don't know. I don't really have anything other than a few sundresses," Bloom frowned.

"No problem. No friend of mine is going to feel apparel shame. There's a very simple solution: shopping."

That was how for the second time in as many days Bloom found herself in Magix city, right in the centre of the city's shopping region. Immediately following Stella's declaration the girls had changed back to their normal clothes and hopped on the next bus into the city. Stella lead them to her favourite dress store and in less than five minutes had had an armful of dresses for Bloom to try on.

On top of the pile was a red dress that Bloom was sure would clash horribly with her hair but Stella assured her was great for her complexion. She pulled it on eyeing the ruffled hem distastefully but still emerged from the changing room to show the girls.

"Well?"

Flora nodded in approval but the rest shook their heads and ordered the next one.

The second one reached almost to her ankles was made from an orange-yellow colour. "How about this one?"

"Too junior high," Stella critiqued. And so it went on and on for the next hour they visited shop after shop, Bloom tried on dress after dress and either the girls or Bloom found something wrong with it or the price. Finally in a high-end shop of Stella's choosing they found a blue slinky thing that they all but forced Bloom into to.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Just trust us."

Bloom emerged in the dress. It was as long as any of their dresses but a lot tighter, making her look curvier than she actually was. A large oval was cut from the fabric from under her breasts and big enough that it showed her bellybutton. It was only one shouldered and Bloom felt like she was showing as much skin as Stella's dress did.

"Perfect," Stella declared clapping her hands together.

"You think?"

"Yeah you look hot Bloom," Musa smiled. Bloom twisted around to check the price tag and immediately pouted. There was a few too many zeroes before the decimal point for it to be within her price range.

"Too expensive," she decided and disappeared behind the curtain.

"Relax, I've got this." Stella whipped out her credit card. Before Bloom could voice her protests Flora saved her.

"You can't, remember? You maxed it out." Stella returned the card with a frown and made a mental note to ask her father for an increase on her credit limit. The girls made their way outside glumly, wondering where they could go next. Bloom cast a look towards the darkening sky and knew what she had to do.

"You guys go back," she said. The girls looked at her in surprise.

"Are you sure? We could stay with you," Flora said.

"No, you guys need to start getting ready." The girls agreed reluctantly and hugged Bloom goodbye, wishing her luck.

"Text me if you need advice," Stella said waving goodbye. Bloom patted her pocket where her new phone Tecna had helped her pick sat and nodded.

"Your probability of success it still very high," Tecna said although her face was pinched with worry for her friend. It wasn't the matter of the dress. She didn't like the idea of leaving Bloom in Magix by herself, especially after what happened the night before.

"Thanks, now go," Bloom laughed turning away and started searching for a cheaper store. It took her about ten minutes but she eventually found what she was looking for, a storefront that was plastered with 'Sale' signs. "With my allowance, the only way I'll find a dress is with some serious luck… or a sale," Bloom muttered to herself as she made a beeline for the store. She dashed inside and started searching through the nearest rack. She inspected each hanger and turned to the next one with the same lack of luck She was digging through a big box of discount dresses and skirts when she found it.

She slipped into the dress quickly and looked at herself in the mirror. The skirt and midriff top was a brilliant cyan blue. The skirt had a ribbon belt that were the same deep blue as the straps of the top and the sleeves were long and light gray. The overall effect was perfect and Bloom knew she had found the perfect dress. The skirt was little long but that could be easily fixed when she got back to Alfea. A dress that got even more perfect when she checked the price and saw that it's already affordable price had been marked down by a further fifty percent. She bolted from the change room and purchased the dress stuffing it into a shopping bag as she tore from the shop sprinting for the bus stop where she could see a bus pulling up. She leapt inside just as the doors were closing and threw herself into the nearest seat, puffing and wheezing, with excitement for the night starting to build up in her chest.

The Trix stood before their headmistress wondering what on earth they could have done in only the first two days of schools to land themselves in trouble. They were certainly surprised when she began to talk about the school-wide competition.

"I've receives a number of proposals, but none was disgusting as yours. It's a repulsive idea, revolting, absolutely despicable. In other words, it's the best. Congratulations, you're abominable." Mrs Griffin smirked at their startled faces.

"That's sweet, thank you," Icy smirked back.

"It's the perfect plan to spoil their fun but do not disappoint me," Griffin threatened, holding out the gift certificate they had earnt.

"Don't worry, it will the perfect night of wickedness, not to mention upchucking and projectile vomiting," Darcy promised.

"Tonight, you'll go to sleep with sound of crying fairies in your ears," Stormy promised, a dangerous twinkle in her eyes.

A panting and bright-faced Bloom burst into her room, throwing her bag onto the bed and dragging her purchase out.

"I found a great dress, Kiko." She told her bunny and hurried over her desk to look for a needle a thread so she could hem it. "It's a little long but I'll just fix it before the party begins which would be in … five minutes," Bloom concluded with a quick look at a nearby clock. Kiko nibbled at the hem at the hem of the dress helpfully when Bloom failed to find the tools in either of the desks.

"I don't think that'll work," she mumbled pacing around her room thinking hard. "What's the point of knowing magic, if you can't use it for the simplest things?"

Movement from the windows had Bloom wandering over to investigate. She pushed open the glass door that lead to their balcony and walked out peering over the edge. From her new position she could see crowds of Red Fountain Boys milling in through the gates and she resisted the urge to swear out loud. She now had even less time. She turned back to the doors but did a double take to look again.

"They are pretty cute," Bloom muttered to herself and hurried indoors.

"So what's supposed to be so great about this thing?" Riven grumbled as he and his roommates stepped off the ship they'd flown to Alfea.

"Well for one thing it's a night off from school," Brandon pointed out.

"And the pretty fairies have nothing to do with it," Sky asked with a lecherous grin as he eyes a passing trio of giggling freshman.

"You'd more about that than me, bro," Brandon pointed out, referring to the reputation the prince had built for themselves in their freshman year as being a ladies man. Sky merely spread his hands in mock modesty and grinned even more.

"Anyway, don't you remember last year's?" Timmy asked Riven.

"I didn't go. I was on detention," he grunted in response.

The other three exchanged looks wondering how on earth it was possible to get a detention that quickly. Wisely though they chose not to comment on it.

"So a lame party with lame pixies to hang out with, that's all I have to look forward to," Riven asked disdainfully.

"Hey it's going to be great," Sky protested and Brandon felt himself begin to smile.

"And that wouldn't have anything to do with a certain Princess would it," he teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sky shot back but his words did nothing to detract from the way he was looking around hopefully nor the way he had dragged them to Earth to meet Stella when she had texted the other day.

Riven also seemed to pick up on this and scoffed. "Of course you would have a crush on a pixie." Unlike Brandon however, his teasing lacked lightheartedness and fondness. Timmy, Brandon, and Sky traded uneasy glances before rolling their eyes and shrugging, entering the ballroom after the scowling hero.

"You know you could have told me we'd be walking. These heels pinch my feet," Darcy whined, her voice echoing around the chamber. They were hurrying along one of the tunnels that connected the three schools in the area. They had been built long ago in case of emergencies. Very little people knew about the tunnels and those that did rarely bothered with them. Magic blocked off all the entrances and exits and there were easier ways to break into the schools. But after all the research the three had done to find the one that lead from Cloud Tower to Alfea, the magic needed to unseal it was worth it.

"Don't even start your bitching, Darcy," Icy shot back. "Once we get the power of the Solaria ring, we'll ride around in chariots everywhere," she went on to promise.

"At least tell me we're almost there."

"Uh _you_ have the map," Stormy pointed out, indicating the ancient map that was Darcy clutched subconsciously. Icy smirked but didn't say anything. Darcy, peered down at the crumbling yellow parchment trying to decipher the mess of scrawling black lines.

"Right, we're almost there." Darcy fought the blush rising on her cheeks.

Icy laughed anyway. "Let the fun begin."

Bloom crashed through the hallway, unconcerned with the amount of noise she was making. By now everyone had already left for the ballroom so she knew she wouldn't run into anyone. She was thinking rapidly as she jogged through the corridor. _A school full of magic and I can't find a simple needle and thread. Freaking ridiculous,_ Bloom thought irritably. Bloom cast her mind back over every inch of the castle she had seen so far. On her way to potions this morning she swore she had seen a door marked 'storeroom' down one corridor. She hurried down a staircase and made her way to where she had seen the door.

She finally caught sight of the dark green door and sighed with relief, pushed it open and flicked the light switch. She was met with the sight of a long staircase descending into the basement storeroom. She hesitated only a second, remembering the many horror films she had seen with scenes like this that always ended horribly. Shaking off the ominous feeling she crept down the stairs. She started searching through the many boxes of equipment, which ranged from office supplies to dated spellbooks. After an arduous searched she finally extracted an ancient looking sewing kit, complete with rusted seamstress scissors and thankfully a needle and some thread.

Bloom was just heading for the stairs again, when the sudden sound of a door opening had her freezing in place. A door that she hadn't even seen before swung open and Bloom quickly ducked under the hollow beneath the stairs, a bad feeling in her stomach telling her that she didn't want to cross whoever came out of that door. The sound of voices filtered through the dusty room.

"I sense we're close to where the gifts are being held," a faintly familiar voice murmured excitedly and Bloom could hear the rustling sound of people moving. Bloom frowned, trying to work out where she had heard the voice before. It didn't take her long. The voice belonged to the witch from the alley the other day with the red dress and electric curls. Bloom stood as still as she could praying that Darcy didn't try the mind sweeping trick which had outed Bloom last time.

"Why would the light be on," Darcy asked, and Bloom fighting the urge to curse aloud heard the footsteps pause on the stairs.

"Maybe the fairies are afraid of the dark," came Icy's mocking reply. "Come on let's go, I don't have time for your paranoia tonight, Darcy." Bloom's hands clenched into fists at the cutting remark but she knew better than to reveal herself. She waited until the sound of footsteps had died away completely before daring to leave her hiding place and ascend the stairs herself. She flew from the storeroom just in time to see the final flick of Darcy's hair round the corner.

 _There's no way I'm letting those witches roam_ my _school._ Bloom thought determinedly, hurrying after the trio but making sure to pause at each corner to check that the Trix hadn't realised they had a pursuer. She followed them right to a small rarely used classroom that the Red Fountain boys had used to store the gifts. Bloom slipped in behind the Trix who were focused on the ornate chest that bore the Red Fountain code of arms. She hid behind a large pillar at the back of the room and resorted to listening to the conversation, knowing that looking would be too risky.

"This school is so sappy," Darcy sniffed glancing around the room while the other two examined the chest closer. "I can't for the life of me figure out why the Red Fountain guys want to hang out with these losers."

"Jealous?" Icy teased.

"Jealous of the pixies having the hero nerd's attention? That's likely," Darcy laughed back.

"Whatever, we have more important things to do, so get your ass over here and help," Stormy snapped. Darcy shot a glare at her back but wandered over all the same. "We'll use these to wreak havoc and spread panic which'll give us a chance to find the ring." Stormy sounded like she was talking more to herself than anything, but an irritated Darcy just couldn't let it go.

"I know, it was my idea."

Stormy ignored her.

"First we locate the ring. Cast the spell," Icy ordered her brunette friend. Darcy looked annoyed about being ordered around but closed her eyes anyway.

" _The spell is cast, show us the past."_ Bloom had to see what was going on at this point and couldn't help but peer around quickly to see what the spell had done. A vision appeared, the edges misted in purple, showing Stella putting her ring away in a sea-shell shaped ring box and putting that into an overflowing jewelry chest.

"This is going to be like taking candy from a fairy."

"Your turn Stormy," Icy commanded. Stormy opened the chest with a snap of her fingers, which swung to reveal row after row of golden eggs.

Darcy picked on up and examined the orange design on it. "Oooh, enchanted little eggs," she simpered cracking it open to reveal a small cloud of butterflies which flew upwards and scattered around the room. Darcy raised an unimpressed eyebrow and tossed the now empty shell aside.

"Eugh, it's so sweet it makes me want to claw my eyes out," Stormy whined.

"After we're done with these things, they'll be the most memorable gifts the losers will ever receive," Icy promised, offering her hands to the other two. The three joined hands to create a small, slightly triangular circle.

Together they began to chant, " _Turn the enchanted into the cursed. Give them a bite that will make them puke first. The eggs will hatch and snake-rats appear. And spread panic, nausea, and terrible fear."_ As they finished their combined energy, three balls of red, purple and blue flew towards the chest. Bloom, who was still watching waited for some unbelievable change to occur but it never came. All that happened was the design on the eggs changed ever so subtly which she supposed was even smarter. No-one would think to question their legitimacy.

"Now alls that left is to sit back and enjoy the show," Stormy giggled. They swung the chest shut and Bloom whipped back into her hiding spot, just in time for the Trix to strut past. Bloom went back to her stealthy tracking and followed them outside right under the windows of the ballroom. They ducked into the gardens underneath where they would be able to watch what was going on inside. Bloom stayed only long enough to hear their excited whispers and bet on how long the eggs will take to go into effect before dashing away again, aware that there was no way she could take on the three witches by herself without her friends help.

She made her way back inside walking as quickly as she could without attracting attention and slipped into the ballroom but had to stop to take in the magnificent site. The foundation of the walls and ceilings were carved ornately and embellished with gold, the walls were made of a pale blue marble and the ceilings were so high that craning your neck was necessary to see the solid gold chandeliers.

Bloom shook her head and moved on elbowing her way through the packed ballroom. Despite the large size of the room, it was still crowded with people, the three grades from Alfea and the four from Red Fountain who were milling around and chatting. A space had been cleared down one end for dancing couples. Bloom stumbled on, apologising to a stray couple she had accidentally separated. _Oh God, where are they,_ she thought desperately her head whipping back and forth.

A few feet away, Brandon stood by himself, arms crossed and an unconscious scowl on his face, regretfully thinking that maybe Riven had had a point. He and his friends had met up with Stella and her new friends and with a pang of unexpected disappointment Brandon had realised that the redhead from Earth, Bloom, was not among them. Stella and Brandon had immediately ditched them for the dance floor, Timmy and the one with pink hair, Tecna had fallen into a conversation about computers and programming that Brandon had had no hope of following, Riven had slouched off to brood elsewhere, Musa was off dancing and the nice one Flora had just been asked to dance by one of his classmates a few minutes ago. So Brandon was feeling well and truly abandoned.

He was looking very handsome with his blonde hair and bright blue eyes and mandatory Red Fountain uniform that accentuated his muscles and that was attracting all the usual female attention. But for once Brandon couldn't find it in him to indulge in their company, the knowledge that it was simply based on his looks unappealing to him.

Unbeknownst to him however the redhead that he had been so surprised to find that he was disappointed that she was missing was heading straight for him. Unfortunately neither saw the other until they collided, quite painfully for Bloom and she ricocheted off his solid form. Luckily for her, the Brandon's instincts had him wrapping his hands around her waist to keep her vertical.

"God sorry," she muttered and looked up through a haze of red hair into his familiar face. "Oh, Brandon right?" She remembered him as the slightly cocky but not completely arrogant one from the night at her house.

Brandon's mood brightened immediately. Bloom had caught his attention from almost the moment he had laid eyes on her and he'd be lying if he said she hadn't crossed his mind at least once since returning to school.

"Yeah. It's Bloom, right? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good, sorry about that. I was looking for my friends," she explained apologetically.

"It's fine. It's good to see you. They're all dancing I think," he offered scanning the dance floor over her head. "Actually," he said eyes roving over the ballroom, carefully taking note as he had been trained to do. "They're over by the food now," he said nodding in the direction.

Bloom followed his gaze and indeed saw her friends gathered in a circle. "Yeah, it's good to see you too. I hate to dash off again, but I really need to talk to my friends," she bit her lip and took a step away.

"It's fine," Brandon said easily, leaning back against the wall and watched her retreating back curiously and then before he could think better of it or even realised what he was doing he found himself calling after her. "But, come find me later…?"

She glanced back at him and grinned. "Yeah, for sure," she promised and a smile made it's way back onto Brandon's face.

Bloom fought her way over to her friends, puffing and panting and leaned on the closest, who happened to be Flora. "Hey girls, I need to talk to you. Wait where's Stella." One glance around the circle told her that Stella was strangely absent.

"What took you so long," Tecna asked, not taking her eyes off the dance floor.

"Stella's off dancing with that Prince of Eraklyon," Musa explained, watching the same thing Tecna was. Bloom followed their gaze to see Stella dancing with Prince Sky, Brandon's friend.

"What's the matter?" Flora asked, taking in Bloom's worried expression and panting form.

Bloom took one glance around her and knew they couldn't have this conversation here. There were way to people around and it would be too easy to be overheard. "Not here," she murmured. "Let's go out in the hallway and someone will have to get Stella." There must have been something in her eyes that spoke volumes because no-one argued or even questioned her. Or maybe the girls just trusted her that absolutely. Either way they all jumped into action, Musa hurrying off to get Stella and the others following Bloom out into the less crowded hallway. A few minutes later Musa returned tugging along a disgruntled looking Stella.

"You know I was dancing with Sky, right? This had better be important." She took one look at Bloom's face and sighed. "What happened?"

"The Trix, they're here." In the single sentence the atmosphere between them totally flipped. The disgruntled feelings from Stella disappeared and any excitement about the dance immediately evaporated. Shoulder's tensed, smiles turned into frowns, and eyes begged for more information. Bloom went on to describe all that she had seen, how she had gone looking for a needle and thread to alter her dress - at which time Stella interrupted with an excited, "Ooh did you find a dress?" The group turned to her with an appalled look. "Right, sorry, go on," she said. She told them about following them, listening to them locate Stella's ring and the casting of the spell on the eggs.

"Snake-rat?" Tecna repeated after Bloom finished her story. "Let me consult my database." She whipped out a small technological gadget and typed a few words. "Ok snake-rats: venomous swamp creatures can cause projectile vomiting with one bite. Eugh."

"I don't get why they're doing this. What are they jealous of our chance with the boys or something?" Stella laughed, only half kidding and apparently amused by the notion of the witches with the guys of Red Fountain.

"No they're doing it to cause a diversion so they can get into the castle and get your ring. We have to work something out to stop them."

"What a sneaky plan," Musa glared. "But I mean it's cool we can handle it. We'll just head back to the dorm and get your ring and then reverse what they did to the gifts."

Flora suddenly groaned in panic and the girls followed the point of her finger to where two Red Fountain guys were lugging the chest into the ballroom, preparing to hand out the gifts.

"Well there's no snake-rats," Musa said hopefully.

"I think the rats are going to hatch from inside the eggs."

"We need a counter-spell and fast. Form a circle and focus your winx." The girls immediately joined hands and closed their eyes and began to chant a spell they had learnt that morning in Defensive Magic class.

" _Let all the dark magic be reversed. Make the eggs like they were before they were cursed."_ Bloom felt the energy build up in her stomach just as it did when the ogre attacked. At the end of the spell the energy climaxed and left her body along with the other girl's as well. Back in the ballroom as Sky reached for the first egg the pattern subtly changed back to it's original with no one noticing. The coos of delight, travelled from the ballroom to the hallway alerting the girls to their success. They breathed sighs of relief and stepped apart breaking their circle.

"Spells are so exhausting," Stella complained rubbing her forehead tiredly as they stumbled back to lean against the wall. Bloom leant over her hands on her knees trying to fight of the fatigue creeping up on her. She heard Musa huff out an agreement.

They were just getting themselves together when Sky appeared in front of them, holding a gift. "Here, this is for you," he said nervously, handing it to Stella.

"Oh, thank you." She took the egg sounding nervous at the prospect of opening something that had so recently held a snake-rat. "How cute," she said faintly. Before she had a chance to open it however, Musa took it from her and examined it closely.

"Hey Flora, remember that tundra spell we read about in _Teen Fairy_ this morning?"

Flora giggled as she realised what Musa wanted her to do. "Yeah, I sure do." She glanced cautiously at Sky and fortunately Stella picked up on the meaning and looped her arm through his and tugged him back towards the ballroom chattering on about owing him another dance. Once they had disappeared through the doorway Flora continued. "I can use it to give those witches a taste of their own magic. It will turn the thing they covet into something they hate. We'll just put the egg in the ring case, and _Shmoronburaboo_." Flora waved her hand over the egg, bathing it in a yellow light projecting from her hand and it promptly vanished.

"Hold up, hold up, what was all that?" Bloom held up her hands in a time out signal.

"That was the September Spell of the Month from _Teen Fairy_ magazine and it'll teach those witches a lesson. Now go get into your dress, before the dance is over."

Bloom smiled and dashed off to her room, determined not to let anything else distract her.

Stormy and Darcy growled in pure frustration as they watched the eggs open. The snake-rats they expected never made an appearance and instead they were treated to the vision of cooing girls watching streams of butterflies dance through the air in the ballroom.

"Unbelievable." Icy snarled and as her aggravation soared the vegetation around them slowly froze. Darcy and Stormy exchanged worried glances and rubbed at their bare arms but wisely chose not to say anything. "They counter-spelled us." Her anger hit it's peak and the frozen plants shattered into a million tiny chips of ice. Darcy and Stormy repressed sighs of relief as the air warmed up immediately. "How dare those little firsties counter-spell _us_?"

"Come on," Stormy begged. "Let's just go in there and crush them."

"No." Icy snapped back.

"Firstly we wouldn't make it two steps before Faragonda put us on our asses," Darcy pointed out. She didn't like it but she knew they had to be wary of the Alfea Headmistress.

"And secondly we have to stay focused. Our goal now is the Solaria ring. And once we do that, we'll be the most powerful witches in all the realms."

"I did my first spell," Bloom told Kiko excitedly. The bunny taking in her excitement looked up with interest. Her excitement dimmed when, out of the corner of her eye Bloom saw Stella's jewelry box float out of her room and through the door of the dorm. Bloom followed it, her stomach dropping painfully. _The Tundarian spell didn't work,_ she thought breaking into a run as the chest increased it's speed and bounced along the walls. _Stella's ring is in there. I can't let the witches get their hands on it._ The ring wiggled free of the jewelry box which dropped to the floor. The ring box continued to float along.

"Oh God, there has to be a spell for this," Bloom panted and thought hard but she couldn't remember any spell they had learnt in a day and half of lessons that stopped a floating ring box. "One, two, three, come back ring." The ring burst through the back doors and continued on moving towards the hidden witches. "Four, five six, stop that thing. Boy that was pathetic," she criticised. Putting on a final burst of speed she managed to catch the ring and wrenched it from the sky but still it struggled in her hands.

Icy, from behind her tree, narrowed her eyes. "Look, it's that earth girl loser… again." She muttered to her friends. "I have had it with her."

"She thinks she can just walk away with our ring?" Stormy hissed, her eyes slitting. "I say first we kick her ass…"

"...then we freeze her…" Icy added.

"...And third we'll crush her into fairy dust," Darcy finished.

The Trix stalked from the shadows.

"Well if it isn't the nosy little Miss," Darcy called, stopping Bloom in her tracks. She spun around in horror and took an automatic step back towards the doors. "Nu-uh," Darcy laughed, slamming the doors with a flick of her wrist.

"Why can't she just mind her own business?" Stormy asked, her voice mockingly sweet. Bloom took another step back but grounded herself from running away any further. She could feel the fear building in her chest and tried to ignore it but it was impossible. She still had bruises from their last encounter and wasn't looking forward to this next one. This was playing out just like last time, Bloom on her own against the three of them with her friends oblivious to the trouble she was in and Bloom remembered all too well how her last solo fight had ended.

Inside the ballroom, the girls were enjoying the party not yet missing Bloom, waiting for her to get back.

"This prince asked me to dance," Flora sighed dreamily, appearing by Stella's shoulder looking a little flushed.

"Go Flora," Musa whooped.

"Brandon doesn't look like he's enjoying himself," Stella said as she suddenly spied the blonde figure who had once again been joined by some of his friends.

"He's from Eraklyon, isn't he?" Tecna asked curiously.

"Yeah, he's Prince Sky's first royal squire and I think he may be missing the company of a certain red-head fairy," Stella commented slyly. This immediately got the attention of the entire group.

"Oh, so he's interested in our girl is he?" Musa asked looking him up and down critically with renewed interest. Several feet away Ms Faragonda was making her way over to them.

"Well he certainly couldn't keep his eyes off her the other night," Stella giggled, oblivious to the company behind them.

"That's so sweet," Flora cooed.

"What's so sweet?" The girls whipped around to see Ms Faragonda smiling knowingly at them over her spectacles. "I trust you're all having a wonderful time?" She continued without giving them a chance to answer.

"Yes, of course." The girls chorused, breathing sighs of relief when the headmistress didn't press the issue.

"Good, good. The teachers and I just had a wonderful idea. We thought Musa might like to perform a song for our guests."

"Uhhh?" Musa tugged on a pigtail nervously trying to figure out the best way to decline the offer. One the outside she was brimming with confidence and attitude but when it came to her music… well she was still finding her sound.

Outside the Trix were closing in on a defenceless Bloom.

"Are you ready little girl?" Stormy cackled.

Icy chuckled and raised her hands. " _Ice bracelet."_ Ice shot from her fingertips and formed on the ground in a ring around Bloom. It began to curl in forming a solid disk of ice beneath her feet. Having witnessed how easily Icy could manipulate frozen water Bloom took an almighty leap from the frozen grass landing on her knees outside it. She was upright and turned around in an instant, not willing to go down as easily as the first time she had battled these witches.

" _Heel of Oblivion."_ Darcy growled out the incantation with an almighty stomp of a heeled boot. Cracks instantly began to form cracking the very earth beneath their feet down the centre. The deep fissure raced towards Bloom, crawling between her legs causing her to have to jump to the side to avoid falling in. She didn't even have time to look up before a tornado summoned by Stormy's hand swept her up into the air and dropped her into the crevice. With reflexes Bloom hadn't realised she possessed, her hands shot out to prevent her from falling heedless of the rocky surface. She could feel cuts begin to form but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind as she began to struggle her way out.

Standing in front of her, the Trix were determined to not let her get away again. Icy stepped right up to the edge and glared down her nose at Bloom.

"There's no escape." Icy used her magic to levitate the ring box, which Bloom had stuffed in her pocket and caught a hold of it, revelling in the feeling of triumph that accompanied it. After tucking it away safely she returned her attention to Bloom who had gone very still under the three witches' gaze, even her panting breaths ceasing.

"May I do the honours?" Icy asked, drawing out the suspense of the situation causing Bloom to squirm as she wondered what they were going to do to her.

Stormy gave a little giggle, a curtsey and said sweetly, "Of course." Darcy merely chuckled and nodded in response Bloom grunted in exertion as she went back to trying to pull herself up. She tried to appear unaffected as she struggled against the biting rock but insider her head, her thoughts were racing. Stella had said that even witches weren't allowed to kill people but there was something terrifying in Icy's cold eyes that made Bloom think she was in big trouble.

Icy decided to drag the moment out even further, wanting to really work Bloom up before she attacked. "You pathetic little Earth girl. I really do wonder how you even got into this school. You don't have any winx at all."

Bloom knew that she shouldn't waste her breath on answering but she couldn't stop herself. "You're wrong. I do have winx." Bloom didn't want to let them get to her but they were saying the exact same things she had been thinking since her first class. _Maybe Stella was wrong,_ she thought dejectedly. Her hand slipped from the rock as she thought it and had to strain to stop herself from tumbling into the endless pit beneath her.

"No, I don't think so," Icy murmured and began to cast the final spell to finish the fairy off.

Something inside Bloom snapped. All of her life she had put up with bullies walking all over her and she had let them, choosing to be the bigger person and walk away. Mitzi had done it to her all through school, flaunting her money, looks and popularity in Bloom's face. And she was done. There was no way she was just going to let those witches do it to her to. The energy inside her surged and Bloom felt herself flying through the air until she was the one who was looking down on the witches.

She landed on the ground, stumbling slightly, there were instincts surging from a deep secret part of her but it was still her first time flying with the wings that were so suddenly attached to her shoulder blades. They felt, however, natural on her back, like they had been missing from her body her entire life, like they were an extra limb that she had just remembered she had. Bloom looked down at herself with an open mouth and took in her outfit; a bright blue high-necked midriff and matching skater-skirt that sparkled in the same strange way as the other girls', the golden gem set in the centre of her top, the heavy blue boots on her feet that were surprisingly comfortable and the sheer handless gloves that were similar to Flora's.

"What were you saying?" She asked, cocking her hip out cheekily. The momentary shock that the witched felt at watching Bloom transform into a fairy disappeared and they were all back to business.

"Aw, it's so cute. You finally got your fairy wings. Too bad your little outfit can't do your fighting for you. Darcy, _Perceptus Disorientus."_ Icy commanded. Darcy raised her fingers to her temples, concentrating on casting the complicated spell.

It worked quickly, distorting the area around Bloom until she couldn't focus on anything properly. A headache began to form behind her eyes as they strained to work out the blurred shapes all around her. She fought the urge to curse out loud and show the witches just how much the spell was getting to her. She brought her hands to her head, willing her mind to slow and think rationally about how to beat the cunning spell. The answer came to her a second later and she zoomed up into the sky, out of the reach of the spell. The world came back into focus looking normal again and Bloom could see the livid anger on Darcy's face at having been thwarted.

Icy was right, Bloom realised. The outfit and the wings hadn't been able to fight her battles for her. They _had_ however given her the confidence she needed to trust herself and her instincts to get her out of the situation. The effects of the spell slowly evaporated and Bloom fluttered down to the ground ready to face the witches again.

Darcy snarled at Bloom sounding like an animal. She didn't seem at all happy at having one of her best spells thwarted.

"Now you'd better hand over Stella's ring or you'll have to face _my_ wrath," Bloom threatened sounding much more confident than she felt.

"Get a load of that 'tude," Icy commented. If she was bothered by Bloom's threats at all she didn't show it, on the contrary it seemed to fire her up even more.

"I know," Darcy agreed. "A couple of wings and she thinks she's all that," she hissed.

"Nasty little fairy, needs to be taught a lesson," Icy decided. Bloom's entire body tensed as she waited for the attack that was inevitable. Sure enough, Icy thrust her hands in the air and the entire world seemed to cool in that moment. Icicles sprung from the earth and grew rapidly towards Bloom, barely giving her time to fly out of the way. She darted back and forth, tumbling through the air as she tried to avoid the razor sharp ice. While she was preoccupied with the lethal ice shards, Icy blasted her out of the air with another spell, sending her sprawling into a dense section of shrubbery. Bloom yelped in pain as she landed heavily amongst the thorny bushes.

"We'll wrap this up with my personal favourite shall we: _Ice Coffin."_ The Trix had lost sight of Bloom when she had fallen into the bushes but Icy was fairly confident as she shot her spell into the brush. She and her friends laughed at the thought of Bloom encased in ice and hidden. They were sure there was no hope for her now. "We've got the ring and Earth girl is history. We're done here." She snapped her fingers and the Trix disappeared in a blue flash of light.

Inside the thicket, Bloom rolled onto her back and stared painfully up at the dark sky. Distantly she could feel the cold creeping up on her but she couldn't bring herself to care. As long as she hadn't been hit by that spell again, she wouldn't start panicking. She was just lucky that Icy hadn't bothered to make sure she had really been hit by the spell. The entire stretch of trees to her right was frozen but Bloom's body was too stiff from the tumble to move just yet. The fall had forced her from her fairy form and she found herself back in her jeans and covered in cuts with an ache beginning to form in her back that she thought had to be from all that flying.

Eventually she rolled onto her knees and crawled between the bushes until she could see the school again. She brushed the dirt and leaves away as she stood, her body stretching painfully.

"God that was cold," she complained and rubbed at her arms in a futile attempt to warm up.

Inside, Stella was standing by the windows taking a break from dancing with her friends. She was taking the chance to catch her breath after a particularly fast dance when she looked out the windows that stretched along the furthest wall from the entrance. There really wasn't any point in looking out the window, with the bright lights inside just causing Stella's appearance to reflect on the dark glass. Still, she squinted her eyes, a strange feeling in her stomach making her want to see outside. Her eyes found the green lawn and noticed with a shocked gasp the long jagged fissure that the witches had created in the ground and could just make out the limping form of her friend. She moved stealthily and speedily from the room, snagging her friends on the way and dragging them behind her without a word of explanation.

When they made it outside, their exclamations of protest turned to questions when they noticed the destruction left in the Trix's wake.

"Bloom?" Stella asked worriedly.

"What went down here?" Musa asked, surveying the wreckage with a low whistle.

"I ran into the witches and I couldn't get to you," Bloom confessed, raking a hand through her ragged hair.

"And you took them on all by yourself?" Tecna asked, her mouth gaping open so she resembled a fish.

"You don't have to act so surprised," Bloom giggled, not taking offence to the shock in her friend's voice. Tecna wasn't the only one who had been doubting in her abilities that night.

"No I wasn't - I just… Well how did it go," Tecna finally managed to get out.

"Well, I grew my wings so pretty good," Bloom said with a small smile. The group burst into congratulations and hugged her. The wind danced past, tossing the girl's hair about. The coolness it brought prompted them to head back to the ballroom, still discussing the fight. "I was getting ready when I saw the ring go past and so I followed it and ran into the Trix."

"But they don't have it," Flora explained. "Don't you remember the Spell of the Month?"

"I thought it mustn't have worked."

"Oh it worked," Flora giggled knowingly and they made their way inside, Bloom splitting off to finally get changed, that is of course unless she ran into another evil beast.

The Trix burst into their dorm-room, kicking aside dirty clothes and school books, their faces still flushed from the excitement of their triumph. Icy flopped onto her bed lazily and drew the ornate ring box from her pocket. "Finally, the ring of Solaria, ultimate power will now be mine," she declared proudly.

"Will be _ours._ " Darcy corrected automatically.

"Yeah and could you please stop talking like that, you sound like an evil villain on some kid's show," Stormy put in. Icy glared at them both but offered no more extended monologues and opened the case discarding it immediately and focussing instead on the egg it contained. "Why would she keep it in the egg that the Red Fountain dorks gave her?" Icy shook the egg curiously and could definitely hear something moving around in it.

A high-pitched squeak suddenly emitted from the egg causing Icy to almost drop it. Darcy looked up from where her head was lolling against her hand and Stormy sat up from her careless sprawl on her bed. The egg shook violently on Icy's palm and this time she did drop it, scrambling back from it, forgetting in that moment that she was capable of blasting the thing with her magic. In fact all three witches seemed to have forgotten this as Darcy slid backwards in the chair she was occupying and Stormy shrunk back against the headboard.

"What the hell is in that thing," Stormy asked and tried to sound brave despite the waver in her voice.

Without further warning the egg exploded, the contents hidden under a cloud of foul smelling green smoke. The three clapped hands over the noises and closed their eyes to protect them from the stinging.

"That is disgusting," Stormy choked out.

"I think, I'm gonna puke," coughed Darcy.

Icy however was too preoccupied by something that had just appeared on the bedspread before her to pay any attention to their whining. The cloud of putrid smoke had cleared to reveal a small grey duck crouched innocently in front of her. She peered at it curiously and the duck looked back, blinking back. A sudden look of recognition flashed across it's small dark eyes and to Icy's everlasting horror, the duckling lunged for the blonde witch snuggling into her.

"Mummy," it quacked happily.

"Mummy?" Stormy asked, while Icy's mouth worked furiously to form words.

"Mummy," it agreed, quacking in delight. Icy removed herself from the duck carelessly and dove off the bed searching for the ring box she had so heedlessly thrown aside before. Stormy and Darcy caught on quickly and also made for the floor, searching about on their hands and knees for the ring box.

"I found it," Stormy crowed, holding up the closed box. The other two descended on her snatching the box from her. Icy wrenched it open to find it, as she feared, empty. A beat of strained silence followed, interrupted by the questioning quack from the little duck. Icy snapped the box shut and hurled it at the offending duck, her fury causing her to miss by miles.

Irritation and anger welled up in Icy before exploding in one shrill scream. "Eugh. I hate all of them."

In her room at Alfea, Bloom was feeling much better than the Trix as she put the finishing touches on her dress. She snipped the last thread and evaluated the final product, smiling at what she saw. The dress now fell to the perfect length just below her knee rather than pooling around her ankles.

"Kiko, look what I can do with a needle and thread" Bloom boasted to her bunny, who scampered up her arm and perched on her shoulder. He took one long look at the dress before finding nibbling on the neckline of Bloom's t-shirt more interesting. "I think I'll call it 'Bloom Couture'." Kiko squeaked and scampered away again, moving towards his bed. Bloom quickly got changed, brushed her hair and hurried from the room, glancing at her appearance approvingly as she went.

When Bloom stepped through the doorway into the ballroom, she instantly started searching for her friends and seemed oblivious to the stares and whispers she was receiving. The discount dress had been altered to such a professional standard that the students in the surrounding area were convinced that it was designer. The combination of the blue and light gray made her porcelain skin glow, her red hair seem brighter and her blue eyes popped. Regardless of the attention, Bloom fixed her sights on her friends, grouped by the dance floor.

She spread her arms as she got nearer and they looked over. She spinned carefully on her heels and asked, "Well what do you think?"

"Hot stuff," Musa grinned.

"That looks designer," Stella smiled, looking it over.

"Gorgeous," Tecna complimented.

"Beautiful as a spring flower and so very you," Flora finished.

Bloom giggled at the praise and joined the circle of her friends and asked about what she had missed so far. The girls - laughing at the blush appearing on Tecna's face - recounted how Tecna and Timmy had spent the whole night talking about computers and then made Stella grin victoriously when they told Bloom about the numerous dances Prince Sky and the Solarian Princess had shared.

"And Sky's friend Brandon has been looking awfully lonely all night," Stella finished with a knowing smile. Bloom narrowed her eyes at her friend, wondering why the teenager suddenly looked so sneaky.

"So a pretty great night so far," Musa summed up and a cute guy wandered past and winked at her. She waved back with a friendly smile and turned back to her friends.

"Awesome. What more could you ask for?" Flora asked.

"I can think of something," Stella said mysteriously. Before anyone could ask what she meant a group of Red Fountain guys descended and invited them all to dance.

It wasn't long before Faragonda was flitting past and telling Musa that the band were ready when she was and the girl was gulping nervously and clambering up onto the stage to stand pale and shaking before the microphone. Grinning to each other, her four friends pushed their way into the crowd of dancers so they were in a good position to watch the show.

Grimacing, Musa tugged the microphone but turned her face away to say a few words to the band. After a moment the musicians nodded and prepared their instruments while Musa turned to face the front again. On the floor, the fairies and heroes murmured in anticipation.

"Uh, hey," Musa started, voice wavering but before she could get another word out there was a loud screech of feedback that had everyone clapping their hands over their ears. Musa jerked the microphone away and her cheeks were stained with a dark blush. "Sorry about that, anyway my name is Musa and I'm from the Harmonic Nebula and I'm going to sing for you guys tonight." In attempt to reassure the nervous freshman the crowd broke out into cheers and Musa found herself grinning despite her nerves. "Anyway, this song is actually from Earth so shoutout to my girl, Bloom and I hope you like it."

Down on the ground Bloom grinned as Musa nodded at the musicians who immediately began playing an old style hip hop beat, heavy on the drums. Behind Musa, the singers of the band who were acting as backups for her started vocalising while the fairy nodded to the beat. Then Musa started singing herself, starting with a long note of her own, wowing the crowd right away.

"Damn," Stella yelled to her friends, staring at Musa in amazement.

But Musa was only just getting started.

" _Let them in, get the lights, let the party begin, mix a little love, get the mood jumpin', from New York to Miami by ten, I think I'm ready to go"_ she sang, already getting into it and swinging her hips to the rhythm. Scarcely taking a breath she continued with the fast pace, " _High, every time that we hit up our spot, see everyone in line, and they payin' a lot, 'cept their payin' for the night, 'cause the drinks are fixed, but the music is free."_

On the dance floor, fairy and hero alike danced to the beat and reassured by their response Musa was slowly relaxing further and by the intro to the chorus she looked like she was born to be on stage.

" _You want it?"_ she sang, walking right up to the edge of the stage and looked out to the adoring crowds. " _You love it, you need it, but you know you gotta have it boy, the music is free._

" _This is for the girls comin' from NYC,_

 _I'm feelin' you like you family,_

 _And everybody down from LA to DC,_

 _Rockin' to the same old school beats._

" _This is for the kids in the clubs and the street,_

 _Talkin' bout you work three deity,_

 _Get on the dance floor where the music is free._

" _Slip, gone until the dawn's gone with me."_

And Musa had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand. Between the old school style hip hop with it's dance beat and easy rhythm and Musa's smooth and smoky tones she was the hit of the night. It only got better when Musa started to get the crowd involved.

" _Now all my_ _ladies,"_ she sang. " _Move it to the front, show 'em what you got."_

And the fairies of Alfea were happy to comply, dancing on Musa's command circles around their dance partners while Musa vocalised.

" _Fellas?"_ she asked next and went silent for a moment as the guy on keyboard provided a beat for the guys to show off their own moves to.

" _All my ladies - oh my ladies,"_ Musa picked up again once the two groups had melded together again. " _All my ladies - oh my ladies."_ The back-up singers picked up their vocals again as the song began to build. " _And all my ladies say, and all my fellas say, everybody say, come dance with me!"_

" _And they say we all,_

 _Dance like this, we have the men in bed and off,_

 _Till the mornin', there we go lettin' off,_

 _Tyler's droppin' onto the table top_

 _Once again, you can shake your thang and there ain't no cops."_

Musa's hips rolled and shook as the lyrics dictated and as she launched into the chorus again her friends down on the floor were distracted by something.

"Look," Bloom yelled over the music as she jabbed Stella in the ribs and nodded at the other side of the dance floor where off to the side was Riven. He wasn't dancing, or smiling, or looking affected by the music at all but his eyes were glued to Musa's form on stage with an intensity they hadn't seen from the hero before.

"Oh wow," Stella grinned back and quickly alerted the others to the sight.

They watched him for the rest of the chorus, a period of time in which he didn't look away from Musa for even a second before facing the front again for the final chorus rounding down the song.

" _This is for the girls comin' from NYC,_

 _I'm feelin' you like you family,_

 _And everybody down from LA to DC,_

 _Rockin' to the same old school beats._

" _This is for the kids in the clubs and the street,_

 _Talkin' bout you work three deity,_

 _Get on the dance floor where the music is free._

" _Slip, gone until the dawn's gone with me,_

 _Gone until the dawn's gone with me,_

 _Where the music is free,_

 _Slip, gone until the dawn's gone with me."_

The last earth-shuddering beat thudded away and was replaced by the enthusiastic roar from the crowd and a again flushing Musa took her bow before scrambling off the stage and back into the crowd towards her friends who showered her with praise, as the band resume their set and the dancing commenced once again.

Much later the group made their way from the dance floor, dodging around talking groups, making a beeline for the drinks table. Bloom was complaining about how her heels were killing her feet over a glass of punch when a low voice spoke from behind her.

"That's too bad." Bloom whirled around in surprise to find Brandon leaning against the wall behind her flanked by the same group of friends who had helped her out at her house the other night.

"Hey guys," she greeted. They responded with their own greetings before wandering away to talk to her friends who had mysteriously reconvened several feet away.

"You know you never came and found me," Brandon accused with a joking smile.

"Hey, I looked for you but I couldn't see you anywhere," Bloom responded truthfully. Between dances, she had swept the room for any sight of the blonde hero but she hadn't caught any glimpse of him.

Brandon's smile turned rueful and chuckled. "Yeah, well I went outside for a bit of fresh air," he confessed. Bloom laughed a little in shock and socked him on the arm. "Then I guess I owe you a dance?" Brandon asked, trying not to show the nervousness he was feeling for her answer.

Bloom didn't have to think about it long to come up with her answer, but she pretended to contemplate the decision much longer just to torture him. "Mmmmm…" she hummed, attempting at a thoughtful look. It worked better than she thought because Brandon shifted nervously under her gaze and scratched the back of his neck. "... I guess you do," she said softly.

He grinned so suddenly that Bloom was caught off guard. In the short time she had known Brandon, she had seen frantic grins in the midst of a fight and sarcastic smirks from this guy but she had never seen such a innocent and genuine smile and found herself wishing it would stay for a little while longer. He took her hand and tugged her out into the midst of dancing students just as the music slowed and transformed into a soft ballad.

"Not going to run away again, are you?" Brandon asked.

Bloom shook her head and slipped her arms up around his neck while his own hands settled on her waist. "No, I've decided something." The two began to sway to the gentle swell of music.

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Her eyes met his own and she saw for the first time that they were blue like her own. However they seemed so much different. While hers were a reflection of water at the beach or the sky at the beginning of the day, as light a blue as you could get, his were a darker midnight blue flecked with indigo, reminiscent of a dying day, the final colour seen in the sky before the black of night took over completely.

Pulling herself from his eyes, Bloom remembered that he had asked her a question. "I'm never going to run away from anything again," she vowed.

"A hard promise to keep," he said lightly, smiling as he did.

"I'm determined," she said with a tiny shrug. And she was. After the fight with the witches something had changed in the simple girl from Earth and she didn't ever want to feel the cowardice of backing away from a fight again.

The rest of the night was strangely perfect. Bloom, the rest of the girls and Brandon and his friends spent the evening talking and dancing, occasionally swapping around dance partners. In between dances, Bloom and Brandon found a table on the edge of the ballroom and talked over glasses of punch. He told her all about his first year of Red Fountain and how this next year was shaping up. Bloom told Brandon about her life on Earth and how she was finding things in Magix so different and the classes kind of hard. She even confided though how Alfea was seeming more like home than Earth ever had with each passing minute.

The night ended after one final fast dance when the Headmaster of Red Fountain, a small white-haired wizard began rounding up his boys to begin the short trip back to their school. Brandon and Bloom said their goodbyes and departed, Brandon snagging Prince Sky as he walked over to his school mates and Bloom grabbing Stella and walking over to where Flora and Tecna waited. The four of them got to witness the sight of seeing Musa leave the forever glaring Riven on the dance floor and slither away with no more than a quip thrown over her shoulder and a toss of her pigtails. They teased her mercilessly the whole way up to the room about how she had spent the majority of the night in his arms. They separated for the night still laughing at the blush on Musa's cheeks as she stalked into her room and Bloom fell asleep that night with a smile on her lips and the thought that maybe tomorrow she might do better in her classes.

* * *

 **Another chapter for you guys. If you were wondering the song Musa sang was 'Til The Dawn by Drew Sidora from the first Step Up moves. Leave me a review if you enjoyed it xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**So just a warning this chapter isn't an episode one but purely my own creation, because I felt like there needed to be one between episodes 3 and 4. I don't want to call it a filler-chapter but it basically is (sorry), not a lot of plot goes on just some world building and head-canoning of mine. I hope you enjoy it anyway :)**

* * *

Unfortunately, Bloom's prediction was accurate and she awoke the next day to a whole world of pain. Even as her eyes fluttered open and she grew aware of herself, she could feel that the ache in her back had spread down to the tops of her thighs rendering her entire back numb. She could feel that the smaller cuts had healed as she had slept but even the most minute movements drew her attention to the larger bruises that hadn't faded yet. Attempting to roll onto her back was out of the question and even lifting her arm to hit the snooze button on her blaring alarm proved too much and instead Bloom just laid there groaning and letting the sound drill into her head.

She didn't have to worry about waking her room-mate however because for reasons unknown to Bloom, Flora got up every morning with the sun to go for a run around the school. Bloom herself had to set multiple alarms just to ensure she got out of bed in time for school. Surprisingly the member of the dorm who was usually up next was Musa and even more surprisingly she was almost always followed by Bloom herself. Thus far Stella and shockingly Tecna had proved to be the worst, nearly always stumbling out of bed ten minutes before breakfast ended.

Over and over the alarm blared and Bloom buried her head into the pillows to block it out but then her bedroom door was being slammed open and her head was jerking upright sending jolts of pain down her neck and into her back. Groaning she slumped down flat again, turning her head sideways to watch the intruder's approach. Stella looked ridiculously comic with her satin nightgown, long hair tied into a messy knot and anti-wrinkle, anti-aging, anti-everything night cream smeared across her face and if this were any other situation, Bloom might of been laughing. But in her short time at Alfea she had already learnt how volatile Stella could be in the mornings and she wisely stayed silent. Shooting Bloom a specially venomous look, Stella purposefully jabbed her finger at the off button, hissed something unintelligible and stomped back out of the room. Bloom smothered her giggles into her pillows and was immediately punished by a twinge in her back.

She didn't get to lie there for much longer however because before long she heard the sound of the door to the drom fling open and an annoyingly chipper voice announce, "Good morning, lovelies! It is a beautiful day out there." Flora's happy voice was answered by two aggravated grunts from Stella and Tecna. Bloom laughed again and pushed herself up to get ready for the day, groaning and grumbling the whole way.

Sitting at the breakfast table didn't feel any better, and Bloom was seriously considering skipping class to stay in bed and sleep off the aches and pains. To her surprise the idea was vetoed by her entire group of friends, even Stella who was always talking about skiving off class.

"You've gotta fight through that pain," the blonde told her, poking at the aching muscles of Bloom's back and smiling apologetically when she hissed in pain.

"Yeah, we all went through it when we were younger and we still get that pain sometimes if we fly for too long. You just have to work through it," Musa said unapologetically, shoveling eggs into her mouth. The girl was stick thin but seemed to eat double everyone else.

"Besides, you'll find it 70% more beneficial to go to class today rather than stay in your room and have to catch up without the aid of the professor," Tecna added, running the numbers on her little hand-held computers. "Oh no," she said, as she read something and bit her lip.

"What?" Bloom moaned, burying her head in her folded arms.

"We have a double flying lesson this morning," Tecna told her.

The group hummed sympathetically and Flora patted at Bloom's shoulder gingerly to comfort her.

"Why?" Bloom whined.

"Oh and we have double defence class this afternoon," Tecna told them.

"No," Bloom moaned, head slipping off her arms to thunk against the table. She then raised it and banged it down again a few times, mentally and verbally lamenting over the state her body was going to be in that afternoon while her friends hummed sympathetically.

* * *

Professor Faylinn Gullveig was a tiny wisp of a thing that floated around her classroom and looked like a strong breeze could blow her over. She was soft spoken and told them often that flying wasn't about controlling the wind they were flying on or fighting through it but rather about a symbiotic relationship based on understanding.

But then she would transform, the hippy attitude disappearing, her long floaty skirts and long sleeved blouses vanishing, to be replaced with a short, backless dress that revealed large, powerful butterfly-style wings and a back corded with lithe muscle. And when she took to the air for the first time and Stella leaned over and whispered that Faylinn was one of the best flyers in the entire dimension, Bloom believed her.

Faylinn was waiting for them in her tower classroom when they arrived after breakfast, leaning against the edge of her desk that stood isolated near the front. The classroom was unlike any others that Bloom had seen in Alfea so far; it had high vaulted ceilings that she had to crane her neck to see the top of, lots of windows letting in light, and a large attached balcony for flying out in the elements. There were desks, but they were all shoved haphazardly against the walls and the coating of dust on them told everyone how often she taught a theory class.

"You'll be working outside today, ladies," she said as they filed in and deposited their books to the side. "Simple hovering exercises to begin with to warm up those wings. Please stay over the balcony, yes boring I know Miss Stella, but necessary until I am supervising. And remember, back muscles tight and posture upright. It'll hurt now but you'll be thanking me later."

In their first lesson they had been inside, one by one performing a set of exercises so she could get a feel for their abilities and put them into grades from A to E. It was possible, even probable that they would move up and down grades over the course of the year, she told them. And they would need to be at least a B grade - flying at an above average ability - by the end of the year to get a pass in the subject. Bloom was the only one who hadn't received a grade and she wondered if they would make an F grade just for her.

Bloom didn't follow the others outside, anticipating that Faylinn would give her something else to do. While she had been grading the others last lesson, she had given Bloom a book on wind currents and flying to read. Bloom had spent the lesson pouring over it and by the end her head swimming with easterlies vs westerlies and seasonal shifts and a number of other confusing concepts. Faylinn had pulled her aside at the end of class, having sensed how overwhelmed she was feeling.

"Don't worry," she'd said with a gentle smile. "When you fly it will be instinctual. Just listen to your heart and your body and you'll know what to do."

After last night Bloom knew she had been right. There had been a couple of moments when she had felt utterly lost in the sky, but mostly it had been like her wings knew what to do.

Faylinn watched as the last of the girls trailed outside and turned to her young charge.

"A little pixie told me that you grew fairies wings for the first time last night. How did it feel?"

It took Bloom a moment to realise that a pixie hadn't actually told her - although her bonded Pixie, Fly, who was zooming around outside supervising, could have - but it was just a saying. It still caught Bloom off-guard to hear the different sayings that were so similar to the ones she was used to on Earth.

"Amazing," she confessed. Faylinn nodded encouragingly. "It felt like I had been missing part of myself. And I knew exactly what to do, like you said."

"How did it happen?"

"I ran into some witches," Bloom confessed and Faylinn's expression darkened slightly. Her eyes roved over her student, lingering slightly on the bruises on her arms. "And I was just so desperate to change that I guess I did."

Faylinn nodded again. "Survival instinct. You'll have to get used to fighting witches I'm afraid, if you want to be a fairy. Now have you tried transforming again, since then?"

"No, I'm not even sure how I did it last night. It just happened. Plus… my back…"

Faylinn grinned wickedly. "Hurts, doesn't it?"

Bloom laughed, even as her back twinged. "Yeah, thanks for the warning. I play roller derby on Earth and even that doesn't hurt as much as this."

Faylinn looked bemused and Bloom shook her head waving a hand dismissively, having forgotten that they didn't have the same sports here as on Earth.

"Alright," Faylinn said, standing from against her desk and clapping her hands together. "Today we're going to work on transforming."

"No flying," Bloom said, feeling disappointed. She already missed the rush that had come from being in the air and unwittingly she cast a longing glance at the rest of her class.

"Not until you can transform without even thinking about it," Faylinn told her, dragging her attention back inside. "Have a go."

Bloom looked at her with a start, realising she meant right now and shuffled her feet. Then, trying to ignore the fact that Faylinn was watching her expectantly, she tried to transform. Nothing happened. Thinking that maybe she needed to close her eyes, Bloom did so and tried again. But she didn't even have to open her eyes to know that she had failed again.

Her eyes fluttered open to find Faylinn watching her, expression patient.

"I don't…" I don't know how. The words went unsaid but Faylinn seemed to understand because she nodded.

"Alright, what were you feeling when you transformed last night."

Bloom cast her mind back, thinking about the fear, the desperation coursing through her but also the determination to stand up to the witches. She described the feelings and Faylinn nodded as though Bloom had told her exactly what she'd been expecting.

"Exactly, like I said it was survival instinct that pushed you to transform. Most fairies first transform this way. So you need to summon up that feeling again. Try again."

Bloom dragged in a deep breath and let it out again slowly. She thought about how scared she'd been, all alone with the witches, and how desperate she'd been for her powers to make a reappearance to save her and then the determination inside herself to put the witches in her place and stand up to them after a lifetime of being the bigger person and walking away from bullies. She held onto those feelings and let them course through her and suddenly she was standing there in her fairy form. Her wings were a comforting weight on her back and her power suddenly seemed at the edge of her fingertips ready to burst from her.

Faylinn grinned approvingly at her. "Good work, Bloom," she said. She snapped her fingers and at once Bloom felt her wings disappear and her clothes change back. "Now do it again."

Bloom sighed and tried again.

And so over and over again for the next hour Bloom summoned those feelings and transformed until she was working up a sweat from the effort. Sometimes it came straight away and other times, when that memory would slip, Faylinn would poke her head inside from where she was teaching the rest of the class and would send a small burst of energy at Bloom to prompt her once again. The bursts were always small and Faylinn's aim perfect, not coming close to hitting Bloom once.

"Hey Prof- Faylinn," Bloom asked, using her professor's given name after being corrected for the third time. "Were you always a teacher?"

There was something about Faylinn, her unorthodox teaching style, the way she preferred to go by her first name, the way she flew, the perfect aim of her attacks, that had Bloom wondering.

Faylinn glanced over at her. They were taking a break, lounging inside with a drink and listening to the sound of hundred's of fairies feet move below them to their next lesson while they stayed put, the professor's eyes on the students outside, now learning to turn with the aid of the wind. "No," she replied. "I used to be a General."

Bloom's bottle slipped from her mouth as she gaped at her professor. She couldn't reconcile the image of the fairy before her, with the long blonde hair, big blue eyes, and slight form who wore long flowing skirts and bracelets all up her arms with the thought of a General who commanded troops.

"I used to command the greatest air legions this dimension has ever seen," she said proudly.

"Did you ever fight in a war," Bloom asked eagerly, sitting forward.

Something in Faylinn's face grew hard as her smile slipped. "Oh yes," she said softly. Her eyes were still on the windows but there was something vacant as though she wasn't really seeing the students beyond the glass. "Yes, I fought in a war. A great, bloody, terrible, war."

Bloom almost asked her about it but something inside her held her back, whispered to her that she didn't really want to know and she let the subject drop. After a moment Faylinn's eyes cleared and she looked over at her student with a familiar smile.

"Ready to start again?"

The rest of the period inched by as Bloom painstakingly perfected her ability to transform but it was worth it when she showed Faylinn and she was told she was ready to start learning how to actually fly next lesson.

Together Bloom and her friends walked from the classroom and out to morning break, Bloom's back feeling a little better while the rest of them were in complete agony after two straight hours of flying.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, grinning wickedly and poking gently Stella's aching muscles in retaliation for that morning.

She got four unimpressed glowers in return and simply laughed to herself as they started the journey down the many stairs.

* * *

At Alfea morning break was unlike breakfast, lunch and dinner were they were served and ate in the dining hall. Rather for morning break a buffet was set up in the dining hall and they were free to eat wherever they wanted. Many girls were taking advantage of the morning sun and had headed out to the quad for their break while others ventured into the shade of the forest and other still went to sit down at the lake. Grabbing muffins and juice, the five girls headed out onto the quad to soak up the sunshine.

"I reckon we just skip the rest of the day," Musa grumbled as they picked a spot on the lush lawn and sat down, four of the five friends groaning as their muscles complained. Bloom's own body still hadn't forgiven her completely for the night before but as the day wore on she was feeling better and better. Plus all the movement of standing all morning to practice transforming without the actual pain of flying had loosened her muscles nicely. "My body can't handle another four periods. Not if two of them are defence class."

There was a general groan of agreement from the group.

Bloom however smiled at them. "' _You'll find it 70% more beneficial to go to class today rather than staying in your room and having to catch up without the aid of the professor'._ Wasn't that what you said this very morning, Tecna?" she asked smartly and had to dodge the piece of muffin Tecna flicked her way.

"Beneficial, schmenificial," Stella said dismissively and produced a pair of sunglasses. After sliding them onto her nose she sunk back against the grass to sunbake. "My muscles are killing me."

"I don't know why you're complaining," Musa grumbled, picking at a blade of grass savagely. "You did this all last year, you should be used to it by now."

But Stella wasn't listening. She had her phone out and was reading something with a flirtatious smile on her face.

"Are you listening to me?" Musa demanded.

"Always, darling," Stella murmured back absently, now typing something.

"Who is it?" Bloom asked, craning her neck to get a look at the screen.

"Oh, no one," Stella said, overly casual and tilted the screen away. She clicked a few last buttons before shoving the phone into her pocket.

Stella lapsed into an expectant silence and regarded them through her shaded lenses. But after a quick look around at each other, none of her friends rose to the bait and busied themselves eating their morning tea and people watching, Musa slipping down onto her stomach, head propped up by her hands. After a long minute, Stella pulled herself up onto an elbow, pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head and frowned at them all.

"Don't you guys want to know who I was texting?"

"I thought it was no one," Flora replied, pretending to be fascinated by a nearby senior with tattoos all up her arms.

Bloom smiled into her muffin; Tecna had pulled out her computer, and Musa looked like she had fallen asleep.

"Obviously it was someone," Stella said and glanced around at them all.

Bloom faked a yawn and leant back on one hand, Musa snoozed on, Flora was now braiding flowers into her hair, and Tecna was still engrossed in her laptop.

"Alright, it was Prince Sky, if you must know," Stella sighed dramatically and flipped her sunglasses back onto her face as she laid back down.

"Knew she wouldn't be able to keep it to herself for long," Musa snickered into her folded arms while the others laughed.

"Whatever," Stella said shortly but there was a lightness to her words that told them all she wasn't mad.

"So what did he want?" Tecna asked, eyes finally lifting from her screen.

"Oh, nothing. Just wanted to check in, ask what I was up to. Isn't that sweet?"

Bloom, Flora, and even Musa nodded and sighed a little but Tecna frowned. "Seems impractical to me; wasting your credit and thus money to talk about nothing? I do not see the point."

"The point, Tecna," Stella sighed. "Is that he was thinking about me." But Tecna still looked perplexed and Stella shook her head. "Don't worry."

They smiled at Tecna's confusion and sat back to enjoy the rest of their break, short as it might be.

* * *

At her last school, the history teacher had been an crotchety, old, woman who had looked old enough to witness first hand the events she droning on about. Bloom had hated history, and her marks had reflected that.

History at Alfea turned out to be very different. Maybe it was solidly based on the fact that she was learning about fairies, witches, wizards, and heroes but even walking into the classroom for history Bloom was more excited than she ever had been before. But Bloom thought that it had everything to do with their teacher.

Professor Callas had a handsome face, with a golden brown tan and brilliant green eyes, full lips that made all the girls sigh when he smiled and hair that was always scraped back into a bun whenever Bloom saw him. He looked young, mid 30's but that didn't mean much because as Bloom had quickly learnt, fairies, witches, wizards, and heroes lived longer than the average human and Griselda who didn't look a day over 50 and Faragonda who looked around 70 were both over 100.

Professor Callas' good looks aside, he left Bloom's old teacher for dead. Where Bloom used to struggle to stay awake in history class, Callas engaged the class, telling history like it was a great story, his passion for it infecting the teenagers, and he often asked them what they thought or got them to imagine how they would have handled the situation had they been in the position.

Still it didn't mean that Bloom was flying through the class by any means; even if the course was of a basic freshman standard, Callas spoke using so many names and proper nouns that mystified Bloom that she was almost constantly paging through the large Magical Dimension dictionary that Tecna had loaned her.

"How are you doing so far," Callas asked her in the middle of the class, while they were supposed to be reading up on The First Dimension War in the textbook. He crouched beside her desk so they were almost the same height. "I know this must be very overwhelming for you."

"I'm ok, I think" she told him. "I mean a lot of it is confusing but at the same time a lot of Alfea is just like regular high school on Earth."

"Alright," Callas said with a blinding smile. "If you ever need me to slow down or go over something with you just let me know. But don't worry, you're doing great, all the teachers are very impressed so far."

Stunned by the compliment, Bloom couldn't say anything as he rapped absently at her table with his knuckles. There had been no wedding band on his finger she noted subconsciously, a fact she knew a lot of the smitten fairies were pleased about but rather a black, intricately tattooed band encircling his wrist, the detail of which the artist in her appreciated. She wondered what, if anything, it meant, as she murmured her thanks and he stood with a final smile to attend to another student who had her hand in the air.

* * *

Physical Defence and Attack Maneuvers, a mouthful of a class that they all simply referred to as Defence seemed to be the only class that Bloom wasn't behind in. In every other class, the other fairies had the added advantage of having grown up knowing about magic and practicing magic but as it turned out not a single one of them had learnt how to even throw a punch, which as they found out was the first objective of the class. After they had their fitness tested and graded of course.

They'd all heard whispers, but caught no glimpses of the Professor. The word around Alfea however was that she was a warrior from the planet Amazonia and that she liked to threaten students with a spear.

The rumours weren't completely wrong.

The professor, known only as Lysippe, was waiting for them when they walked in for their first defence class. She was a big woman, not overweight by any stretch of the imagination, but rather stacked with muscle, with powerful thighs, broad shoulders, and a height that would put her as tall as any professional basketballer back on Earth. Her dark blonde hair was bound by a piece of leather, she wore a simple brown tunic, and similarly plain sandals on her feet. It was her weapons that terrified the students; a scabbard containing three knifes was strapped to her chest, twin swords hung from a belt at her waist, and finally she held a spear, that as the students would learn she tended to twirl in her hands as she spoke.

"Hello, girls," she said, speaking in accented english when the class had assembled before her. "I am Lysippe, and I will be teaching you physical defence during the next three years. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

Hands shot up all over the place.

"What's with all the weapons?" one girl asked.

Lysippe, closed her eyes briefly, inhaled sharply, as though she had heard the question many times before, before saying pointedly, "I meant questions about the course."

Most of the hands went down. Tecna's hand was one of the few that remained in the air. Surprisingly Stella's was also in the air.

"I don't get why this class is required," Stella said.

Lysippe's eyes zeroed in on the blonde and more than a few girls shrunk away to get out of her line of sight. "Ah, Miss Stella, I had wondered if I would be seeing you again after your untimely exit last year. As for your question - one that you asked last year as well, might I add - does anyone know how long the magic of a fairy your age lasts?"

Tecna's hand shot into the air. "It's actually quite hard to determine, as it's based on several different factors including the fairies weight, the strength of their core power, how close they are to the sources they derive their power from, other environmental factors…" she trailed off awkwardly at Lysippe's exasperated look. "Approximately 3 hours of intense work, 6 of low level activity," she concluded meekly.

"Exactly," Lysippe said. "Which isn't very long when you think about it," she continued, beginning to pace before them, twirling her spear between her hands. "Your stamina and endurance will of course improve as you get older until you can go days without needing to rest and regenerate.

"But no matter how much you improve there will always come a time when your magic levels lower and you need to rest. Which leaves you vulnerable to attack. Which means you must be able to at least defend yourself without the aid of magic. Thus, this class is compulsory for the three years you are here. Understand?"

When the whole class had nodded, even a grudging Stella, Lysippe clapped her hands together and said, "Any other questions."

Tecna's hand went into the air again. "How will we be graded?"

"It is very similar to your flying class grading system. You will be assessed today, placed in a grade from A to E, you will learn according to your grades, the higher grades learning slightly more difficult maneuvers while the lower grades will cover more basic moves. If you work hard, you of course can move up a grade but at the same time, if you slack off I will not hesitate to move you down one. Several times over the course of the year you will be formally assessed and your current grade recorded and by the end of the year you will have to be attaining a B grade, that is above average skill in fighting, if you wish to pass."

Flora's hand went up. "And what skill level would we have to show to get to a B grade?"

Lysippe considered the question. "Generally, the ability to incapacitate someone to some degree."

There were many shocked gasps, as most of the students there had never thrown a punch, nor had they ever needed to and to go from that to fully incapacitating someone in less than a year was baffling to them. But more than, it was finally dawning on them, the type of life they had chosen.

Lysippe tapped the end of her spear against the floor and grinned at them. "Now, are you ready to begin ladies?"

Lysippe took no prisoners.

The first thing she had them do was complete the beep test, which Bloom remembered distastefully from Gym class last year. The objective of the test was to measure the cardiovascular fitness of each individual by having them run from one marker to another before the beep. As the test went on, the beep's got closer and closer together, though the distance remained the same and slowly fairies started to drop out.

To her surprise, Bloom was one of the last to drop out, realising that the fairies were so used to using their wings to get places that they rarely had to run. By the end it was only Flora, who ran every morning, and another fairy who lasted longer than her, and it wasn't by much.

Lysippe, who had been watching them carefully and marking down the stage they reached, pursed her lips but otherwise her face betrayed nothing of her thoughts on their ability.

Next she had them complete the sit-and-reach test, to test their flexibility, as she explained when asked. One by one she had them sit, put them feet flat against the edge of a box, and then she would measure how far forward they could reach with their fingertips.

There was a lot of sitting around during that one, as they idly watched their classmates get measured, and conversation rolled between a few topics before finally setting on Lysippe's home planet.

"So where is she from?" Bloom asked, voice pitched low in case Lysippe had super hearing along with super strength.

"Amazonia," Stella murmured back. "It's the only totally green planet in the dimension."

Bloom's confusion must of shown in her face because Tecna leaned over to explain.

"They go without technology of any kind," she said and the distaste in her voice told her four friends all they needed to know. "Among other things," she added as an afterthought.

"Why?" Bloom asked.

"Their religion holds the natural world as sacred and they see technology as the reason that the natural world is being destroyed"

Glancing around, Bloom saw that Tecna was right. Other than the small CD player that Lysippe had used for the beep test there was no other sign of technology in the classroom. Terrifying weapons lined one walls, posters outlining attack maneuvers spread throughout the other three, but there was no television, computers, or other type of sound system other than a small speaker that was part of the school p.a system.

"What other things do they go without?"

The other four shared sly smiles that had Bloom confused.

"Mainly?" Musa asked. "Men."

Bloom frownd, confused. "Huh?"

Tecna took pity on her and didn't laugh even as the other three giggled. "Millenia ago there were both men and women on Amazonia and they were considered the ultimate warriors. But then there was terrible ruler, a man, who decided that women were inferior to men and enslaved them all, forcing them into camps, do menial labour as well as perform other… degrading activities."

Bloom gulped, not even wanting to think about what activities an enslaved woman might be forced to perform for a man.

"After nearly a century of cruelty the women rose up, rebelled against the leaders, and slaughtered every single man on the planet."

Bloom's mouth dropped open at the story, torn between horror at the thought of all that bloodshed and exhilaration that the women had freed themselves. She stole a glance a Lysippe, a woman of strong and power and imagining an entire people like her forced into chains. Her horror dimmed slightly.

"And ever since there have been no men on Amazonia. See those cuffs that Lysippe wears? Every Amazonian woman wears them. During their time of slavery, they used to wear one similar but with loops set into them for chains, now every female on Amazonia is given a set as a coming of age present to remind them what men are capable of."

There was a long moment of silence between the friends, their smiles having been lost during Tecna's story, and Bloom was struck by the realisation that the others hadn't known. They couldn't know the history of every planet, of course, it was like her being expected to know the history of every single country on Earth.

"That's a horrible story," Flora said softly.

Tecna shrugged. "You'll find stories like that in the history of almost every planet, where there is power, oppression usually follows."

Lysippe called them to attention, breaking up their conversation.

"Sit-ups, girls. Two lines, using each other's feet as an anchor and you have 5 minutes to push out as many sit-ups you can. Count them yourself and don't even _think_ about fudging the numbers."

The class scrambled into two lines, pushing and shoving each other to make sure they were with their friends. Bloom ended up the head of one line, Tecna across from her and Stella beside her.

Lysippe watched them silently, waited until they were all settled, feet overlapping to keep their partner from moving before saying, "Begin."

At once the class started doing their sit-ups, some more enthusiastically than others and Bloom, waiting until Lysippe had wandered down the line abit, picked up their conversation where it had left off.

"So if there are no men on Amazonia, how do they…" Bloom trailed off awkwardly as she tried to find a way to phrase it, letting a couple of sit up passes go before she finished. "You know, reproduce."

Stella flopped onto her back, sniggering and didn't get up for the next few sit-ups, Flora flushed red and paused for a split-second before continuing, and Musa, smirking didn't even falter as she said, "Well, at least we know where Bloom's mind is at."

"Shut up," Bloom muttered back, feeling her face grow warm and not from the physical exertion.

"It's a perfectly valid question," Tecna said briskly, voice slightly breathless from the sit-ups. "They interact with males solely for the purpose of reproduction and for no other reason."

"Oh," Bloom huffed. "Do they not have relationships then?"

"Oh, they do," Musa said casually. "With each other."

"Oh," Bloom said, back thudding back against the mat.

The sudden appearance of Lysippe beside them terrified them out of making any more conversation.

"Is my class getting in the way of your conversation girls?" she asked, voice unamused.

"No, Professor," they chorused together, faces flushed as they steadfastly avoided each other's eyes. "We're sorry."

"Good. Then get back to work. You've only got another minute left."

And with Lysippe watching them carefully for that remaining minute they didn't dare utter another word to each other and concentrated on their sit-ups.

"You sounded surprised before, when we told you about the Amazonians," Musa muttered to her later after they'd finished and Lysippe was coming around, recording their numbers. "Do women not have relationships with other women on Earth."

"No they do," Bloom said hastily. "I guess, it's less popular. And not all people are ok with it."

"Why?" Flora asked suddenly from her other side and Bloom realised the whole group was listening.

"Well it's against some people's religion, and the other's I don't know," Bloom said, thinking about the people she knew weren't religious but would mutter slurs at the few out people at her school anyway. "I guess on Earth people have a harder time accepting each other's differences."

"That's so stupid," Stella said. "Love is love."

"Yeah," Bloom said absently, mind still on Earth.

"And you?" Flora asked carefully. "What do you think about it?"

"Oh, I'm totally fine with it," Bloom assured her. "I mean they're not hurting anyone and like Stella said, love is love."

"That's good," Flora mumbled, sounding relieved.

Bloom blinked at her and she saw the others do the same. "Oh, are you…?"

Flora smiled and blushed a bit. "I have a girlfriend back home," she told them.

"That's so cute," Stella cooed. "What's her name?"

"Liliana," Flora told them, sounding shy as though she wasn't used to talking about her love life.

She was spared answering any more questions by Lysippe who sent them off to do five minutes of push-ups. After push-ups it was a strenuous and exhausting obstacle course which got them to run between cones, and jog along the rungs of a material ladder, and jump over short hurdles, all the while they were timed by Lysippe. Finally she lined them up in front of punching bags and got them to practice punching softly while she wandered along making notes on their technique.

"You'll break your thumb like that," she said after watching Bloom for a minute. "Here," she said reaching for Bloom's fist and holding it between surprisingly gentle fingers. "Your thumb should never be inside your first," she explained uncurling Bloom's fist. "You'll break it that way. Keep it outside and it will be much safer," she continued, molding Bloom's hand into a perfect fist. "Now try."

Bloom punched the bag over and over again with her improved fist and Lysippe nodded approvingly.

"Much better," she praised before moving along the line.

Bloom smiled to herself, surprised by the unanticipated compliment before continuing.

Fifteen minutes later found all the entire class flopped onto the floor, bodies collapsing in protest after they finished putting away the punching bags. Lysippe stood over them, looking for once, amused.

"Please tell me class is almost over," Musa groaned in an undertone to Tecna.

Tecna glanced at her watch and her lips twisted unhappily. "We still have half an hour left."

Five simultaneous groans erupted from the friends as they wondered what their professor would make them do in the remaining time.

"Now girls, we still have some time left and normally I would expect you to do some theory work. _However,"_ she continued pointedly when some of the girls started to groan. "I understand that you must be feeling sore after today. And I know you had double flying this morning so as long as you talk _quietly_ amongst yourselves, I will give you the rest of the period off. If you are quiet enough I should be able to get through all the grading notes and give you your starting grades before you leave."

She gave them one final, warning look, daring them to start making noise before making her way over to the teacher's desk that sat in the corner. She needn't have worried however because after the two doubles of the day most of the girls were exhausted and were stretching out for a half hour power nap before the bell went, Bloom and her four friends among them.

They must have been quiet enough because true to her word, five minutes before the end of class Lysippe drew them back together, waking the dozing girls to assemble before her.

"Before I give you your grades I would just like to warn you that none of you managed an A or a B grade. But don't be disappointed, girls," she continued seeing some crestfallen faces. "It is very rare that I give out such a high grade so early and remember this is just a starting point."

And without any further ado she read out the grades alphabetically. As it turned out both Flora and Bloom were awarded a C grade, Musa a D, something that made her frown and Tecna and Stella were both grouped in the E grade, and Bloom could tell just from their faces that they weren't pleased about it.

"Girls in the lower grades, don't be discouraged. You have plenty of time to improve and I have complete faith in each and every one of you."

The bell rang and the students shuffled but no one moved. Lysippe struck the class as the type of Professor who would yell at them saying that she dismissed them, not the bell.

"Get a good night's rest and rest your bodies. Tomorrow we start learning how to throw a proper punch. Dismissed, ladies."

As typical teenagers the entire class scrambled to gather up their books and escape out of the classroom. They were officially done for the afternoon and they couldn't wait to relax in their dorms before dinner.

"Well that blew," Stella sighed as they exited the classroom, everyone more than a little stiff as their muscles continued to cool down.

"Yes, I can't say I am too pleased with my result either," Tecna agreed sounding perturbed.

The girls hummed sympathetically but Stella blinked in confusion.

"Oh, no I broke a nail in there. And I had just gotten them all to the perfect length." Stella held out her hands to show the girls her nearly flawless nails, the concern in her voice making the other girls laugh.

"Oh Stella, I'm sure it'll grow back soon," Bloom laughed, slipping an arm around her friend's shoulders and leading her in the direction of the dorm.

* * *

Bloom watched the afternoon sun slowly start to sink towards the horizon from the comfort of Flora's bed. Dinner would be starting soon, and the others were in the living room watching a movie. But Bloom had been exhausted and the last thing she'd wanted to do was watch a movie that was set in a world she was basically a stranger to. Flora, who'd been especially quiet since the end of class, for some reason hadn't wanted to watch the movie either and was puttering around beside her, pinning up photos of her family and friends above her bed.

Bloom was sleepily shuffling through photos, occasionally handing them over to Flora to put up and smiling at the shots of young Flora. She paused on one; it had to be dated a few years previous judging by the braces on Flora's teeth and the roundness of her cheeks.

"Is this your family?" Bloom asked, glancing up at her friend.

Flora glanced down and smiled. "Yeah. That's my little sister, Miele. And my mum and dad." She traced their faces with a soft finger before turning back to the wall.

Bloom's eyes drifted back to the photo. All four of them looked alike, sharing warm chocolate eyes, light brown hair and even tans. Miele looked like a little carbon copy of Flora and even at her young age, Bloom could see that she was going to grow up to have the same daintily pretty looks that her sister had. Both sisters had an equal distribution of features from both their parents and together the four of them made the picture perfect family.

Bloom had never had that. Her father was blonde, her mother brunette and both had brown eyes that complimented their tanned skin. Bloom on the other hand had porcelain white skin with a dusting of freckles, red hair and bright blue eyes. She was used to telling people that Mike and Vanessa were her parents and getting a double-take and a raised eyebrow until she followed up with the fact that she was adopted. Bloom suppressed a sigh and handed the photo to Flora.

The next photo on the stack was Flora, cheek to cheek with another girl, both of them grinning madly at the camera. The girl was blonde and looked pretty as far as Bloom could tell, with the girl's eyes scrunched up and mad grin. Flower crowns adorned their hair. They could be friends, Bloom supposed but something about the pair had her flipping to the next photo.

Understanding shot through her. In the next photo they were obviously a couple, dancing together at what looked to be a school dance, Flora's arms around the blonde's neck, foreheads tilted together, looking deep into one another's eyes, the rest of the world so distant that they probably hadn't even realised their photo was being taken. Bloom smiled.

Beside her, Flora sighed and perched on the edge of the bed. Bloom glanced at her, smiling, not noticing the melancholy look on her friend's face.

"Is this Liliana?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah," Flora replied, eyes on the photos that Bloom was looking through.

Hearing the sad note in Flora's voice, Bloom paused and looked at her. "Hey, what's wrong? Do you miss her?"

Flora sighed again and plucked a photo from the stack. "I do miss her…" she began, eyes on the photo. In it they were looking at each other, laughing about a joke only they shared, and they looked so happy that Bloom's chest ached as she wondered what could have happened to make her new friend look so sad.

"But…" she prompted gently.

"We had a big fight, right before I left."

"Oh," Bloom said. "Well, I mean just give her a call and I'm sure you'll work everything out with her."

But Flora shook her head. "It's more complicated than that," she said solemnly. Sensing that Flora was going to tell her everything, Bloom remained quiet, waiting for her friend to talk when she was ready. "Liliana is a pacifist," she explained. "She thinks that violence has no place in modern society. And if it was a perfect world I would agree with her. But…"

"It's not a perfect world," Bloom finished for her.

"Exactly." Flora twisted so she was facing Bloom directly. "Liliana grew up in the city where the wards are much stronger but I used to live in a small rural village. And one day witches came and attacked and nearly destroyed my entire village. We were lucky that so many of us escaped with our lives.

"I've seen that destruction first hand and I've never felt more helpless than the day those witches attacked. And that day I vowed to myself that I would never be that helpless again and that I would do anything I had to to make sure that if my family and friends were in danger I would be able to defend them."

"And there's nothing wrong with that," Bloom assured her.

"But Liliana told me before I left that she wasn't sure if she could be with someone whose values were so different to hers," Flora sniffed, tears starting to collect in the corners of her eyes. Bloom grabbed her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. "And that if I really loved her I wouldn't be making her feel so conflicted and-" Flora broke off as she started to sob.

Bloom slipped her arms around Flora's shoulders and drew her in for a tight hug. "Hey," she said to her shoulder. "If she really loved you she would try to understand and respect your values just like you've done for her. And if she can't do that then you deserve better. Ok?"

"Ok," Flora sniffed back but still her shoulder shook with her tears so Bloom pulled her tighter and rubbed her back comfortingly until she calmed down a little.

Eventually they pulled back and ended up stretched out on the bed facing each other.

"You know," Bloom said quietly, like she was about to share some big secret. "I've never had a friend who came to me to talk about relationship drama."

"Yeah?" Flora asked, while she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. "You didn't have close friends on Earth."

"I had friends, but I don't know, I wasn't that close to any of them. And they always went to each other with their problems."

"You know what's funny?" Flora asked. "Neither did I really. After the attack on my village we moved into the city and I met Liliana. She was my first real friend and all my friends now were her friends first so I always felt weird about talking to them about our relationship."

"But now we've got four really close friends," Bloom murmured, thinking about the three fairies in the next room.

"Yeah we do," Flora agreed, voice equally soft.

Stella chose that moment to poke her head through the door and yell, "Come on, slowpokes. Dinner's started and if you don't get up soon we'll never get to eat."

She disappeared out of the doorway and they could hear her bickering lightly with Musa, Tecna occasionally throwing in her own, cool, comments. Flora and Bloom grinned at each other before rolling off the bed and running after them.

* * *

 **Heyyo,**

 **So I hope you liked the three teachers I wrote. I had a lot of fun writing those characters, even if this chapter took me forever to write.**

 **Also before all the die-hard Helia/Flora shippers come scream at me in the comments, don't worry guys, Flora is a beautiful bisexual.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you thought in the comments xx**


	5. Chapter 5

The rest of the week passed as ordinarily enough for the five friends as could be in a school of fairies and magic. Slowly but surely, Bloom began to improve in her classes, until she could successfully transform into her fairy form at will and could throw a punch in defence class without almost breaking her wrist. Bloom was still mystified by her dimensional theory class and Stella struggled to face the potions teacher each day, a severe looking woman who seemed to still be holding a grudge against the blonde after the unfortunate incident the year before. But things were getting better, both in class and out of it. It turned out than none of the five of them had ever had a best friend before but despite this, or perhaps because of this they were growing closer as a group faster than ever.

By the time it reached Friday, they were exhausted however and more than slightly happy to go back to their rooms to pick up their books after lunch and instead find a note informing them that afternoon classes had been cancelled in favour of an outdoor activity. Instead of being cooped up in a stuffy classroom, they were going to get to enjoy the lingering warmth of summer out in the forest.

Which was how they found themselves in front of a violently sneezing teacher, one they hadn't yet met, in the middle of a wide clearing while the hot sun beat down on them. They were decked out in a uniform that had been left with the note: khaki shorts, a matching button-up top made of a light, breathable material, thick boots and wide-brimmed hats to shade their faces from the sun. They'd treked out to the lake that separated the Alfea school from Cloud Tower, where the moisture from the lake coupled with the hot sun was making the whole atmosphere humid and muggy and not nearly as enjoyable as the students had expected.

"Welcome, girls, to Black Mud Swamp. My name…" the professor broke off with a tremendous sneeze. "Excuse me, as you can see I'm slightly allergic to the sap from the Igglethrod vine. As I was saying, my name is Professor Palladium and I'll be walking you through this outdoor exercise today. You might be wondering why you haven't had a class with me yet, I teach Magical Reality, which you only have a few times a week in your first year. I'm taking you this afternoon because we no longer have Floral Magic class but Ms Faragonda still believes that the students might benefit from the course. And so here we are."

A fairy at the edge of the group, with a particularly distasteful expression on her face raised her hand, before speaking without bothering to wait to be called on. "I think I'm in the wrong place, I'm from an urban realm."

The class tittered quietly but Professor Palladium's face never wavered.

"That may be so, but a well-rounded education is what Alfea is all about, Miss…"

"Tahlia," she supplied grumpily.

"Miss Thalia. And this class is compulsory," Palladium finished sternly.

Tahlia opened her mouth, no doubt to argue back but was cut off by the worried voice of another student.

"Professor, a keekbug just bit me!" The girl shook her long brown hair out of the way to show a throbbing, red bump on her collarbone.

"Well, we are in a swamp so that is to be expected," Palladium said even as he looked around nervously. "But the quicker we get on with the exercise the quicker we can get back to the castle," Palladium said, sounding excited about the prospect.

"He looks a bit squeamish, if you ask me," Bloom noted to Stella in an undertone.

"Probably got roped into it," Stella replied. "He didn't do it last year."

"Now, this exercise is designed to test your natural ability to listen to the always present voice of nature, which every good fairy should be able to do. Form groups of five or six and navigate through Black Mud Swamp and find the Crystal clearing. You have three hours to get there, but here's the catch, you will not be permitted to use any magic. Only the voice of nature will be your guide, and remember it's not enough to hear the voice, you must listen to it as well."

"But Professor," Tahlia whined but Palladium had vanished into thin air.

Bloom, Stella, Tecna, Flora, and Musa immediately broke off from their class and formed a group. They all just stood there for a moment and looked at each other, waiting for someone to take the lead. Finally, Flora broke the silence.

"I guess there's no reason to stand around, talking," she said with a glance at the rest of the class, none of which had made a move to start. "Let's start looking." Flora promptly turned on her heal and started walking further into the swamp, pushing her way through the thick vegetation.

After only a few minutes of fighting through the unrelenting vegetation they encountered their first problem; a very wide pond filled with mud and slime. The girls came to a complete standstill at a loss for what to do.

Stella looked from the pond to Flora who was staring at it determinedly and back again. Apparently catching on to exactly what Flora wanted she laughed derisively. "Not a chance, Flora. There is absolutely no way I'm getting in that muck."

"It's not that far," Flora reasoned, already wading into the murky water.

Tecna, Musa, and Bloom all followed suit having already come to grips with the fact that they would not be getting to the end of the task looking as good as when they started. Stella sighed when she realised that she was the only one left on the bank and slipped in carefully, scrunching her nose up in disgust. The girls slowly plodded through the thick water with Stella complaining in their ears the whole way.

"Eugh, this place is just… ewww! Oh God, something's crawling up my leg! Stella increased her pace, moving with surprising speed for someone who was desperately trying to dislodge the foreign object clinging to their leg.

"What happened to ' _mud does such wonders for my complexion'?_ " Musa mimicked Stella's excited voice from earlier on their trip down to the swamp making Bloom and Flora laugh.

Stella's mouth snapped open to retort but Tecna had noticed something strange and pointed it out to the other girls. "You know these bubbles could indicate to the surface of the water where small dark coloured bubbles were growing and shrinking rapidly. "They're not very friendly, I should just zap whatever's down there with a standby spell." Tecna held her hands out which immediately began to flow with green sparks.

"We can't," Bloom said reluctantly, not looking forward to facing whatever was making the water bubble like that. "We're not allowed. We've got to listen to nature, so just use your senses."

Tecna looked put out but nodded and dropped her hands. The group exchanged glances and as one they inhaled deeply. Their faces immediately puckered at the offensive odour.

"Smells like old socks," Stella observed and sniffed again. "Or maybe-"

However Musa had noticed something strange about the sell and cried out in alarm. "Jeez, it's some kind of gas. Let's bounce."

The girls were now close enough to the other side that they could run easily though the ankle deep sludge, clamber up, and dive under bushes and behind logs to protect themselves.

"So, what is it?" Stella whispered, shifting uncomfortably under a prickly bush.

Bloom peered nervously over the top of the log she was crouched behind and felt around for some kind of stick she could throw. "Get down everyone," she warned and after waiting until everyone had ducked for cover, threw it as hard as she could at the water's surface, immediately following herself flat on the ground afterwards. They watched nervously as one of the bubble burst and a green-grey gas wafted from the pool before disappearing into the atmosphere.

"That's Medusa gas," Flora said. "I've read about it before. That stuff would've turned us to stone." They watched as several more bubbles grew big enough to pop on their own; most of the gas drifted about for a few moments before disappearing but some got close enough to the edge of the pond and came into contact with an overhanging branch which immediately turned grey and hard.

"I guess my information was incorrect," Tecna said, sounding mournful.

"It's alright, Tecna. We just have to be careful," Bloom soothed as the girls sat scraping mud and muck off their legs. "I can't believe that tree turned to stone." The group turned to look at the tree again.

"Talk about being statuesque," Stella joked lightly.

* * *

Across the lake, up in one of the tallest towers of the school for witches, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy slunk into their dorm and lounged on their beds, eyeing each other like a pack of lionesses.

"Thank god we're out of there," Stormy sighed, twirling a loose tendril of hair around her finger. "Zarathustra's classes are the worst."

Icy brushed away a stray cobweb that had snagged on her arm on her way in and huffed an agreement.

Darcy disregarded their conversation entirely and was instead looking around their dorm for the ogre that currently resided there. "Where is that stupid ogre?" she snarled. "His text message said he'd be here and I am not skipping class and risking detention if he's not even going to be here."

"Aww," Stormy crooned. "Scared of a little detention."

Darcy shot her a scornful glare. "Do _you_ feel like spending an entire afternoon writing lines?"

The doors to Darcy's wardrobe gave a sudden shudder but held firm against whatever was trying to get out.

"I'm in here," Knut grunted, his voice muffled and disembodied, words punctuated by a sharp bang to the doors. Darcy's lip curled into a snarl but she didn't move from her sprawl. "Can you let me out? My foot's asleep and there's an itch I can't reach."

"D, let him out," Icy drawled, eyes scouring her immaculate nails for imperfections. Darcy got reluctantly to her feet and wandered over, not in any mood to rush. She yanked open the doors and stepped quickly out of the way as the ogre toppled out with a thump. She pinched her nose shut pointedly at the putrid smell that followed him and sauntered back to her bed.

"There's no ventilation in there." Knut looked at his feet sheepishly.

"Why does he have to stay in there? He is stinking up my wardrobe."

"We have to him him somewhere," Stormy reasoned. "You know how strict they are about animals and pets."

"You're just saying that because it isn't your wardrobe he's staying in," Darcy groused under her breath. "Besides," she continued louder. "If he doesn't do something about his O.B.O the whole school is going to work out he's here."

"Just be a dear, Knut, and find a way to clean yourself regularly and we won't be having any more problems-" Icy was cut off mid-sentence by the obnoxious quack of the duck as it flapped it's way onto the bed. It made for Icy but was stopped by a hand around it's foot, suddenly hoisting it upside down. Icy glared at it distastefully. "Why me?" she moaned miserably as the duck tried to snuggle up into her palm. She threw the duck carelessly, though fortunately for it, it righted itself before it hit the floor and fluttered over to the desk where he could watch from a safe distance.

"At least ducks don't reek," Darcy commented, watching it's progress thoughtfully and missing the glare Icy sent her. "Besides we break enough rules as it is. Zarathustra is bound to be on our case about missing her class, Griffin is still pissed at us for not wrecking the Alfea dance and if we get caught sneaking out one more time I'm pretty sure we're gonna get expelled."

"Please, we do it for the greater evil," Stormy said with a hair flick.

"That's true," Icy conceded and turned to Knut her smirk transforming into a scowl. "Now you, what's so urgent you couldn't put it in the text?"

"Well, I was snooping around Red Fountain just like you told me to and I was hiding in a bathroom… or maybe it was a closet…" Knut trailed off, thinking back to earlier in the day.

"Knut." Darcy barked jerking his attention back to the present.

"Right, it doesn't matter. I heard someone say that a team of specialists were bringing the Hunting Troll to Magix today, and they were gonna give him to the authorities," Knut finished looking at the witches expectantly.

After a long moment of tense silence, Icy sat up and leaned towards Knut. "And exactly why should we care about that?" she asked silkily. "Does it concern us? No! So if that is your only news, you'd better start running," she growled getting to her feet.

Knut took several lumbering steps back and he scrambled to explain himself. Stormy however saved him from his stuttering and took over the situation.

"Hold on, from what I've gathered from this useless lump of ogre." She shot Knut an acidic glare. "Then they're going to interrogate him, and if they have the help of a fairy or a wizard, they could use a simple mind read spell and even with his little pea-brain they'll work out that it was us who ordered the attack."

Icy thought for a moment before agreeing with a nod. "Point taken. In that case, we'll just have to stage a little jail break, free the troll and get rid of the sorry beast forever," she decided with a simple shrug. Knut's mouth dropped open at the callous words but he knew better than to comment.

* * *

Up in the air, high above Black Mud Swamp four friends from Red Fountain were navigating a Red Fountain aircraft. With a whoop that resounded around the flight deck, the aircraft zoomed along flipping over in the air.

Riven could feel the adrenaline thrumming through his body, the excitement brought by the knowledge that at his fingertips was the control for the entire craft. This being their first solo mission only added to the elation.

"Come on Riven," Brandon complained from beside him. "Can we keep the flips to a minimum?"

"Well next time don't eat right before the flight," Riven answered smartly, eyes never leaving the sky ahead of him.

"Would you two knock it off and someone go check on the troll," Sky commanded. His feet were propped up on the control panel, hands behind his head and eyes closed so he missed Brandon's eyes roll and Riven's rude hand gesture.

"I'm on it," Timmy volunteered, unbuckling himself and making his way carefully through to the back where the Hunter Troll was being kept. As their first solo assignment they had been given a rather simple task. The Hunter Troll that they had captured had been secured in the craft at school and their job was to deliver the troll without anything happening to him so he could be interrogated about the attack on Earth.

Timmy ambled down the short corridor, stopping just short of the room it opened up into. The electric fields had been activated acting as a barrier to stop the troll from moving anywhere until they reached Magix. He peered between the humming cables to see the troll curled up on the other side of the ship glaring at him resentfully with his bright yellow eyes. After confirming everything was in order Timmy made a beeline for his seat, stumbling as the plane hit some turbulence.

On the other side of the craft, Sky and Brandon were talking quietly.

"I have a feeling something is going to happen," Brandon was saying, peering down at the swamp that was just ahead of them.

"Something good or something bad?" Sky wanted to know.

"I don't know… something."

"Would you two relax? As you can see I have complete control of this aircraft. You always worry too much Brandon, just trust the captain." Riven sounded exasperated with two friends but let the conversation drop when he noticed that Timmy had returned. Meanwhile Sky was puzzling over how and why Riven would consider himself the captain.

"How's our big boy doing?"

"He's a little cranky but mostly calm-" Timmy broke off with a startled yelp as something hit the ship shaking it violently. Timmy who was still trying to make it to his seat, fell to the ground sliding across the floor as the ship tilted dangerously.

"Eyes on the sky, Riven," Sky barked, holding a hand out to Timmy hauling his slight body up. Timmy stumbled across the craft and strapped himself in as Riven fought for control over the ship. A few tense minutes passed as the aircraft wobbled and swerved alarmingly.

"What in the hell was that?" Riven snarled, eyes sweeping the clear expanse of sky in front of him.

"I don't know but it came from outside the ship," Sky answered distractedly, as he and Brandon next to him scoured the monitors stretched out in front of them. He and the others had run enough simulations and flight tests to know what normal turbulence felt like and it definitely wasn't what had just rocked the ship.

"Don't be stupid," Riven grunted as he wrestled with the wheel. "If you two knew how to read these things you'd know there's nothing on the sensors."

Neither Sky nor Brandon rose to the bait of Riven's mocking but continued to search the monitors for any sign of an external forces. They had been given the task of checking the radars as well as other technician jobs. Brandon opened his mouth to continue the argument when a second hit had the entire craft spinning over and over in the air, losing height at a startling rate. Riven took a quick assessment of the situation and jerked the steering wheel up and tried to level out the craft but it was no use. They were heading for the ground, fast and the only thing left to do was to try and make the landing as smooth as possible. He yelled for his friends to brace themselves and prepared himself for what was going to be a painful landing.

* * *

Down in Black-Mud Swamp, the group had paused on their journey for a break. Stella was stretched out on the only patch of grass visible, Flora was squatting nearby the mud they had just vacated and investigating a supposedly rare plant, Musa and Tecna were scrapping clumps of mud from their legs and Bloom was perched on a rock doing not much of anything but drinking from her bottle and watching the sky lazily.

She jerked upright however when a Red Fountain aircraft went soaring over her head, heading for the ground at a dangerous level with dark billowing clouds of black smoke spilling from its wing. The scream of the jet as it went past was loud enough to jerk everyone else from their activities.

Stella at once recognised the red, blue and white of the Red Fountain school colours. "Shit, that's a Red Fountain craft."

The girls were on their feet in a flash and fighting through the small thicket of vegetation separating them from the crash site soon after. They burst from the foliage to see Riven leaning against the demolished ship rubbing a hand through his hair. Timmy was beside him also leaning against the craft with his head tipped back and glasses glinting in the sun. Brandon was helping Sky out of the aircraft through a small jagged hole. When they saw that the boys seemed okay, they slowed their pace and sauntered over.

"Well, look who it is," Stella tried to keep the smirk from her face as her eyes swept over the wreckage. There were obviously no serious injuries to the guys so the panic drained from the girls. Ever the worrier, Flora had to be the one to check if they all were ok.

"We saw your plane crash," Tecna added.

"It wasn't a crash exactly," Riven grumbled. "It was more like an emergency landing." He glowered off at the horizon, looking just a little too attractive for Musa's liking. She blushed and turned away quickly before he caught her looking.

"What happened? Pilot's Ed get a little out of control," Stella quipped, gesturing to the still smoking wreckage.

"Actually we were transporting a…" Sky broke off when he noticed a larger hole further down on the craft.

Brandon, unaware of his friend's realisation covered for his lapse. "Transporting a very uh important package to an undisclosed location-" he rambled, trying to keep the fact that they had been transporting the very troll that attacked Stella and Bloom from the girls.

Sky, didn't seem to share the same feelings because he cut over Brandon with the alarming statement, "Guys, the troll got away."

The guys muttered curses under the breath and went to investigate the Troll's now empty cell, with Brandon face-palming at his friend's tactlessness.

"You guys let a troll get away?" Musa seethed.

"We didn't let anything escape," Riven hissed. "We had an accident, the ship malfunctioned." He didn't even spare a glance at the girls. His arms were crossed and was leaning against the ship with an air of nonchalance that the other guys were failing to convey. They were trying to make it look like it wasn't a big deal but the way they were glancing around nervously betrayed them.

"It was a mechanical failure," Timmy assured them. "Probably," he added under his breath.

"But, we have him in adle shackles so it's fine," Sky put in helpfully. "And those things slow you down like a tranquilizer. He's not going to get very far."

"Then what are those?" Bloom asked suddenly, pointing to a pair of silvery-blue handcuffs lying mostly buried in the mud and muck of the swamp. Everyone followed the point of her finger and the guys groaned simultaneously at the sight.

Brandon plucked them from the slime and shook them to rid the shackles of the grubby water clinging to them. "Ok the shackles may have come loose."

"Good job," Musa put in sarcastically. Riven glared at her.

The other guys hurried to cover their failure with a subject change and asked the girls what they were doing in the swamp anyway, leaving it to Flora to describe their assignment.

When she was finished Riven said nastily, "So get back to your little excercise, girls and leave this problem to the specialists."

Stella couldn't help herself and retorted back smartly, "When are the specialists gonna get here?"

Bloom nudged her sharply in the ribs, silently warning her even as she tried not to laugh at the glower on Riven's face. It did not help at all when Musa laughed loudly and added her own, "Oh snap."

"Listen you privileged little princess." He snarled leaning closer to Stella, whose lips had pressed into a line and eyes had narrowed to slits. Bloom's own hands balled into fists, loathing the way Riven was speaking to them, like they were little girls who had no idea what they were talking about. She didn't care if she was new in this world, she wasn't a total idiot.

Sky put a placating hand on his shoulder and cut in. "What Riven means to say, is that it might be best if you guys just leave the troll to us and go back to your class assignment."

"I can tell her to get lost myself."

"But what if the troll runs into other girls from our class?" Tecna's cool voice asked, a hint of worry creeping in.

"Just stay out of our way so we can take care of it, ok? Come on guys, we're wasting time here." Without another word Riven strode off into the swamp following the set of footprints that the troll had left. Timmy followed meekly behind him, waving goodbye as he went. Brandon and Sky were the last to go and both shot apologetic looks over their shoulders which the girls pointedly ignored.

Bloom scowled at the muddy floor, resenting Riven for his callous demeanor, resenting the other guys for letting him act that way and most of all resenting herself for not saying anything. _I'm sixteen years old for Christ's sake,_ she thought angrily.

There was a moment of silence between the girls as they thought about what to do. Riven had made it very obvious that he didn't want or need their help. But Bloom's need to prove herself to him as well as the others was burning strongly. But she also knew that her friends wouldn't want to help them after the way they had been treated. She was proved right straight away after she suggested they go after them.

"After the 'tude Riven just gave us?" Stella sounded outraged.

Normally sweet and caring Flora, nodded, her cheeks pink with irritation. "Yeah, he was beyond rude. I think we should just get back to our assignment and let _Riven_ deal with it."

"I'm with Flora. If Riven wants to get eaten, I say "bon appetit" right?" Stella said.

Tecna was preoccupied surveying the ship to register her opinion but Musa nodded along furiously.

Flora looked startled by the apparent meaning of her words and frowned. "That's not quite what I said but..."She trailed off when Tecna spoke, catching the group's attention.

"Well this is strange," Tecna said more to herself than anything and fingered the jagged metal of the ship.

"What's strange?"

"You see the hole in the ships. The patterns of the burnt marking surrounding the perimeter, indicate that the hole was created by a blast from outside the ship while it was still in flight."

"Wait so you're saying someone shot down the ship?" Bloom asked incredulously.

"Yes, I think so."

The girls exchanged worried looks. If someone wanted the troll to escape and ran into the guys as they were looking for it then they could get seriously hurt. Especially if they were completely unaware.

"Do you think we should go find the guys and tell them?" Flora asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"Or we could go find the troll ourselves?" Stella said lightly. "I mean it's not like we need _their_ help."

The idea instantly appealed to Bloom and she wondered if Stella was feeling just as put down by Riven's words as she did. Everyone nodded, some more reluctantly than other but still agreeing nonetheless. Flora took the lead, the others close on her heels except Musa who trailed unhappily.

"If I ever say, ' _hey let's go hang out in a swamp.'_ Remind me I really hate swamps."

The girls chuckled at her gloomy voice. Bloom however was too preoccupied, looking at the troll footprints they were following. "Notice anything strange about the footprints?"

"They're about a size thirty?"

Bloom ignored Stella as she began to chatter on about the troll having trouble finding shoes. Instead she spoke over her voice to the other three, "They get less and less deep as they go."

Musa eyes scanned the swamp ahead of them. "And they totally disappear up ahead. It looks like he found a way to leva-walk or something so he could shake us" Musa's voice was slowed by confusion.

"So... what, the troll cast a spell?" Flora frowned.

"Except trolls can't do that."

"Which means someone else is in the swamp."

"Someone who might be watching us."

At Tecna's dark words, their eyes flew to their immediate surroundings. On instinct the girls pressed together, back to back to form a tight circle. They eyed the dense vegetation surrounding them but witnessed nothing more than the green plants and the tell-tale chirping of insects and birds.

Finally they relaxed a little and moved on, following what was left of the prints. The conversation picked up where it had left off.

"How are we supposed to find him without footprints?" Flora's question had them all thinking hard for an answer. Any suggestion they could come up with was immediately shot down by the others and they became more and more impossible.

Finally Bloom conceded to the only thing she thought could work. "Maybe we could listen to the Voice of Nature?" she said and waited for the idea to be rejected again.

"Actually that might work and that way we could actually do our assignment," said Flora.

"I just don't understand, what voice? I don't hear a thing," Tecna said.

The girls exchanged smiles. As soon as they heard about the particulars of this assignment they had been expecting something like this to happen. Tecna was from the realm Zenith which prioritised the use of logic and facts. The Voice of Nature was far from the believable for her. Still, ever the one to try new things she closed her eyes and waited expectantly while the others followed suit.

It was strange to just stand there and listen. It wasn't something they did often. They let the sounds of the wind and the animals wash over them until the individual noises merged together to create one giant wall of sound.

Then all at once it all died away. The wind stopped slithering between them, the leaves ceased to rustle and even the animals fell silent as though they to were listening for the direction of Nature.

Bloom took deep breaths in through her nose and let them out slowly through her lips and waited patiently. She let her mind drift, thinking of nothing at all and only feeling the nature around her. The squishy mud beneath the soles of her boots, the breeze that caressed her skin, the sun trickling through the branches above her to warm her face and slowly a feeling began to build up somewhere deep within her.

Tecna stood there and waited out a full five minutes impatiently before deciding to speak. "Well? Did Mother Nature give you any advice."

Bloom eyes opened slowly and without consciously deciding it, her body turned to face the darkest part of the swamp. She saw out of the corner of her eye, Flora do the same and she could feel three pairs of eyes on her back, waiting for her to explain. The longer Bloom stared into the dark vegetation the more sure she felt that the troll went that way. She had no idea how she knew this but she wasn't going to question it.

"He went that way, through the thicket," she said confidently.

"Are you sure about that?" Stella's voice lacked it's usual poise. Bloom could understand her trepidation, she was exactly pleased about going through the creepy looking swamp either.

"Look guys, I know it's really dark and creepy over there, but something's telling me that's the right way."

Flora nodded. "I feel it too. I'm getting a really strong vibe."

Musa groaned in defeat and set off, picking her way carefully through the mud and plants.

Tecna stopped for one last look around the sunlit glade before heading into the dark unknown, calling out softly, "Yoo hoo, nature. I'm listening."

* * *

Somewhere much deeper in the swamp the specialists were not finding maneuvering their way through the swamp nearly as easy as the girls. The fact that Riven was hanging upside down by a vine was a testament to just how hard they were finding it. His friends were in no better position. Timmy looked like a green mummy with vines curled around him from neck to feet. Brandon was tethered to a tree by the thick green vines and Sky was struggling to keep the vines away from his face.

"Get off me, you stupid vine. Go drink some water or something." Riven grimaced at his pathetic excuse for a quip but he attributed it to the blood that was quickly rushing to his head.

"I think these plants don't just survive on water alone,"said Timmy as he stretched his neck in a vain attempt to evade the reaching vines.

Sky spat out a mouthful of plant. "What makes you say that?"

"Because I think they're trying to eat us."

The guys exchanged worried glances and re-doubled their efforts to escape and Brandon was suddenly extremely aware of the vine that was winding it's way tighter and tighter around his chest.

"Got any smart ideas?" The blonde wheezed and thrashed about wildly, trying to unsettle the constricting creeper.

"I, I think we just need to stay calm..." Timmy said his voice wobbling slightly as he tried to stay composed. Composure that went flying out the window as soon as he saw another vine start to creep up towards his throat. His sentence broke off into a yell for help that soon all the boys were contributing to.

* * *

Just out of earshot, the girls were wading through ankle deep mud and slime, chatting idly as they went. They were keeping a careful eye out for any signs of the troll but so far they weren't having much luck. Suddenly Flora, looking mildly fearful, shushed them quietly. They turned to her expectantly.

"I recognise these plants," she explained in a whisper. "Quietus Carnivorous, they hate noise."

Bloom, Musa and Tecna all nodded, trusting her expertise and ensured that they kept their footsteps light. Stella however pursed her lips in doubt and glanced at the slow moving vines creeping around them.

"I find that hard to believe." Stella looked around smiling mischievously. Without another word of warning she raised two finger to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle. No sooner had the sound left her mouth she was being tugged up by the ankles with surprising speed for such a slow-looking plant. Once she was up and her face was turning bright red and blonde hair was falling everywhere, screams began pouring from her mouth in earnest, one after the next. Bloom grimaced and clapped her hands to ears while Musa just giggled and Tecna rolled her eyes in amusement. Flora also struggling to hide her smile dropped to her knees and started stroking the vine's bumpy surface like they were puppies rather than man-eating vines.

"It's alright," she cooed to them, letting a small amount of magic trickle from her fingers to calm the distressed plants. "We'll be quiet from now on," she said sweetly and finally the vines relented and dropped Stella unceremoniously on her head.

"Oomph," she complained rubbing her head, not seeming to notice the mud that was plastered through her blonde locks.

"I tried to warn you," Flora giggled quietly, prompting the other three to burst into uncontrollable albeit silent laughter.

* * *

Timmy's final yell for help slowly faded away as hopelessness took over. His head hung dejectedly as help failed to come. Vines were still sneaking closer and closer and tightening to an alarming point.

"Man, it's going to be so embarrassing if someone finds us like this." Sky's voice was glum as he jerked his head sharply to escape a vine. As if summoned by his very words, the five girls traipsed into the small clearing where they were being held. The girls took in the situation quickly and found it incredibly hard not to show their amusement.

"Need a hand," Stella teased quietly.

Riven glared at her but the other three were much more glad to see them.

"You should stay away," Riven warned, glancing at the vines pointedly. "These vines belong to incredibly, blood-thirsty, man-eating plants." He finished on a gasp as the vines squeezed him tighter.

Musa rolled her eyes as she responded, "They only eat loud-mouths so maybe you should pipe down." Riven met her eyes with a quiet snarl and a cold glare which she returned happily.

Flora wasn't listening to their squabbling as she was preoccupied with trying to soothe the poor plants who were twitching from all the noise. After a few soothing pats from Flora they relented to release the boys and slithered away from the still arguing group. Riven fell to the ground and only just managed to twist so he didn't land on his head, Brandon sucked in an almighty breath as the pressure on his chest was lifted and Timmy tumbled from his vines clutches.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Bloom whispered. When neither Musa nor Riven moved an inch, still glaring determinedly at each other she sighed and gave them a strong push to get them moving.

As they made for a sun-lit patch of swamp to their right, Brandon and Bloom found themselves several feet in front of the others leading the way.

"Hey, it's good to see you," Brandon said quietly.

Bloom nodded and smiled. "Yeah, how have you been."

Brandon opened his mouth to answer when Stella appeared between the two and spoke herself. "What are we talking about?"

"Nothing Stell, just catching up," Bloom sighed.

The group stopped in the middle of the clearing and formed a circle, waiting for someone to take charge and decide what to do next.

When it looked like no one else was going to speak Bloom decided to. "Maybe we should look for the troll together from now on. Safety in numbers and all," she suggested.

The girls agreed pretty easily and surprisingly three out of the four heroes did as well. Only Riven opposed the suggestion and shook his head sharply.

"No way am I teaming up with a bunch of girls," Riven said shortly.

Bloom and the other fairies scowled at his words and expected the other boys just to fall under his commands. But shockingly she saw Timmy shake his head, Brandon roll his eyes in exasperation, and Sky spoke up on their side.

"You're on your own then dude." Sky shrugged flicking his hair out of his eyes lazily. Riven cursed under his breath and made to walk away but Sky's next words stopped him cold. "And if you find the troll, just give us a shout."

Riven was smart enough to work out the hidden implications beneath Sky's words. He was also smart enough to know that on his own he wouldn't fare well against the huge troll. He sighed, cracked his knuckles irritably and then with his ego cursing him he turned back and joined the others.

"Alright, where are we going to look first for this thing." He could see Stella fighting a smirk at his surrender and fought the urge to growl at her, knowing it wouldn't sit well with the others especially not the _precious_ Prince Sky.

Tecna lead the group through the swamp blindly, hoping they would find an opening where they would be able to regain their bearings. After a few minutes of silence filled only with the squelch of boots in mud, leaves rustling and shriek or curse as bugs attacked the group the thick trees finally thinned and opened to a bank of a surprisingly deep but dirty river.

The group stared in dismay at the distant bank which was a far distance away, much too far to jump.

"What should we do?" Musa asked eyeing the dirty water. With all the muck and mud they wouldn't be surprised that a few dangerous animals were being concealed down there and no one felt like swimming across and finding out.

While the others immediately fell into argument about what to do - Riven wanted to swim across, Musa, Timmy and Stella thought they should walk along the bank to see if the stream thinned anywhere and Bloom, Flora, Sky and Brandon thought they might as well check the swamp on the side they were standing before they bothered to find a way to cross the river - Tecna studied the river carefully, looking for the best way across. It came to her not a moment later. Floating serenely on the surface of the murky water were small clumps of earth almost as though they had broken away from the bank. If they were strong enough, one could simply use them as a pathway across. She put a foot out carefully and - _Yes._ she thought happily as the piece of turf held her weight easily.

"You know we could just use these to hop across," she called over her shoulder, halting the argument in its tracks just as it was about to get nasty. The group agreed quickly to the smart suggestion.

Sky stepped forward first and leapt easily onto a nearby slab. Timmy tried to follow suit but tripped and landed in the water. He spit out a mouthful of murky water and Brandon pulled him out chuckling at the look of disgust on the red-head's face. He smiled himself as he wiped off his dirty glasses and the group joined in the laughter all except Riven who scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"First we have to look after the fairies and now Timmy as well."

Brandon's smile vanished and morphed into a scowl at Riven's mocking tone. Stella's hands balled into fists but didn't move because of the placating hand Bloom paced on her shoulder.

"Let Brandon handle it," she murmured under her breath as the blonde and the black haired guys squared off against each other.

"You really want this to go any further or do you want to be smart and shut up now?" Brandon asked his blue eyes darkening dangerously. Sky took a step back onto the bank sensing that the tension between the two could build to something physical.

"You're just Prince Sky's doormat, Brandon," Riven sneered, Sky's title no more than a hiss. "Why don't you just go lick his boots."

Bloom's eyes were drawn to Brandon's side when she saw his hand clench into a tight fist. Even though her own anger was building at the horrible things Riven was saying she couldn't help but admire how the rigidness of Brandon's hand was defining all his arm muscles clearly. And there was a lot of muscle there.

"That's enough, both of you," Sky barked authoritatively but neither guy moved, both waiting for the other to make the first move. "Brandon," Sky commanded through gritted teeth and the blonde stepped back without another word and turned away. Riven smirked like he had won something but the others just turned away disgustedly and made their way to the bank searching for the best way across.

Tecna was the first to leap from the bank and landed effortlessly on the earth slab. At her urging Stella and Musa were the next to move, finding their own piece to land on, wobbling as they did. The rest of the group followed each experiencing the same lurch as they landed.

"They're so wobbly," said Flora.

"Yeah, they're really unsteady," Bloom agreed and had to land in a crouch on her next piece to avoid hitting the water.

"I think the key to excelling in this enterprise is to keep moving. Don't stay still." Tecna stepped off her turf and onto another and then quickly leapt off that one as well. The group saw the ease at which she began moving and realised that the longer they stood on one piece the more unsteady they would feel. They continued to make leaps and jumps from one piece of earth to another.

Things were going pretty well but they had just gotten to the halfway point when things started to go downhill. The currents in the river started growing and the increased speed had the earth slabs teetering even more. Worry gripped everyone as Stella was forced to hop an enormous length to her next piece. She seemed to start off pretty well but it became clear as soon as she left her piece that she had misjudged the distance. She only managed to get a single foot on the chunk which immediately sunk under her weight and sent her falling backwards right into the water. Sky jumped to her rescue, landing on the nearest turf near her and catching her in his arms before she could get wet.

"Uh thanks," she blushed as he set her on her feet on a nearby piece. He merely winked in response and jumped away with an impish grin.

The next problem arose when the currents began to drag the water into a whirlpool instantly sucking the nearest turfs nearer. Though they were far enough away not to be immediately affected, they knew that if they didn't get off the river soon they would be dragged into the quickly growing whirlpool.

In fact they may not have been as far away as they thought. Brandon who was closest to the whirlpool was already being pulled away, all nearby sections of earth either too far away or too close to the whirlpool to be considered. Sky and Bloom the two closest noticed his predicament first and it was Sky who came up with the only possibility.

"Double jump, my man?"

"Yeah, that's all I can do."

Brandon eyed a clump that was spinning around the very edge of the whirlpool. Bloom could see him watching it carefully and timing exactly how long it took to get around and knew instantly what he was going to do. If he could jump on that piece at the perfect time he could use it as a vault to propel him onto another that was out of the danger zone of the whirlpool. Bloom's breath caught in her throat at the very thought of trying something like that. But for all the risk involved Brandon didn't look the least bit ruffled by it. His breathing was even and steady, eyes focussed and body tensed to go into action. Just as the turf swung around near him, Brandon sprang forward. He had barely landed on the precariously tipping piece which didn't slow despite the extra weight off his body before he leapt forward again landing easily on another, now safely out of reach of the whirlpools tides.

"Nice one," Bloom called. Brandon flashed her a smile as she leapt after him.

Beads of sweat were sliding down everyone's skin and aches were beginning to form in their muscles from jumping around for so long. It was only a matter of time before someone got too tired that they made a mistake and fell. And that came when they were at the most precarious part of their journey. To get to the stable part of the bank they had to jump right past the whirlpool using the most unstable turfs. Brandon and Bloom had already jumped past using them and the rest were quick to follow. Tecna had just landed firmly on the bank and turned to watch Riven, the last of them to make the jump.

The turf he was aiming for moved at the last second and he hit the water, submerging completely in the dirty water. Tecna was leaping back onto a piece of earth immediately and as soon as he resurfaced she grabbed a hold of his hands, trying to resist the pull of the whirlpool.

"I gotcha Riven," she assured him, holding on tight. She looked down and saw the briefest flash of fear in his violet eyes.

"Don't let go of me," he pleaded quietly enough that no one heard but Tecna. She opened her mouth to respond but instead grunted with effort as the whirlpools strength increased causing her to dig her feet into the earth to avoid being pulled into the water.

"She's slipping."

Another strong tug of the current sent her tumbling over the edge but a strong set of hands clamped down on her legs before she could reach the water. Timmy with his deceptive strength kept her and Riven from getting sucked any nearer to the whirlpool which was still growing in intensity.

"Don't worry," Timmy panted as the other guys joined him to help. "We'll get you out."

Between them all they managed to drag the two out of the water and onto the bank, where they lay panting for breath after the ordeal.

"Glad you teamed us with us girls now?" Stella smirked down at Riven.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah whatever. Let's go, we've lost enough time and we've got a troll to catch." Without a word of thanks he rolled to his feet and strode off leaving his saviours behind sitting in the dirt. Timmy heaved a sigh, too used to Riven's behaviour to comment and pulled Tecna to her feet. The group didn't speak much as they followed Riven's brooding figure into the thick vegetation in front of them.

They were pushing their way through thick bushes when they heard a deafening roar resounding through the swamp. The specialists exchanged looks with the fairies and quickened their pace.

"That's our boy," Sky chuckled as they burst from the foliage to a wide open space. All amusement drained from his face however as he took in scene. Three Alfea girls were back up against a rocky wall, screaming in terror as the troll advanced slowly upon them.

"Don't worry we'll get them out of there," Brandon said confidently.

"We have to do something quickly," Tecna said and all eyes turned on the specialists for the plan.

The guys thought hard for as few moments before inspiration struck Sky and he came up with an idea. "Alright, alright everybody. I have a plan. Phase one: the girls distract the troll."

The girls' heads snapped around to stare him down.

"I hope 'troll eats the girls' isn't phase two," Stella said indignantly.

Sky grinned at her. "No way, cause Brandon and Timmy are going to pin him down then Riven and I will jump in and slip the shackles on."

The girls exchanged long looks and contemplated their options. Another scream from the girls had them nodding and jumping into action. They ran towards the troll scooping up anything they could use to attract his attention. Branches and rocks rained down on his broad back but the blue brute didn't even seem to notice, instead continuing to creep towards the trio of screaming girls.

Bloom shot a desperate look at her friends and started yelling. "Hey there, uh big guy. Remember us?" The loud yelling coupled with a well aimed rock thrown his way was enough to get the troll's attention. He swung around, his gleaming yellow eyes pinning them to the spot.

"Long time no see," Musa put in. The troll merely roared ferociously at them causing the girls to hastily step back a few paces.

"Well, don't be a stranger," Stella laughed nervously. "Get over here and pass out hugs."

Flora looked like she wanted to run in the opposite direction as the troll charged towards them but managed to hold her ground. They braced themselves for an impact that never came, for Brandon and Timmy came running from nowhere and tackled the troll around the legs effectively taking him down. The troll fell into the mud with a splash and immediately began thrashing about but the two specialists held on tightly and managed to pin his flailing limbs down.

"Hurry up, I don't know long we can hold him for," Brandon yelled for his friends. They dove into the fray, the cuffs no more than a glint in the sunlight. The fight became a mess of mud and squirming figures, the specialists indistinguishable from each other as they became more and more coated with mud and the troll continued to be a thrashing wreck.

The girls strained to see what was happening but it was impossible to know who was winning the fight. Fists crashed into skin, legs kicked out and shouts of exclamation could be heard. A muddy blue hand suddenly appeared clutching the head of a specialist. The girls looked but couldn't figure out who was in the troll's clutches.

"Someone, help. He's got my face." Riven's voice was muffled by the thick skin surrounding his head. Timmy came out of nowhere to yank the arm away from his friend and pinned it behind the trolls back.

"Hurry up. I can't hold him."

"Cuff him."

"Easier said than done."

The fight became a shouting match between the specialists giving the troll the chance to get to his feet and run for the trees before the girls had a chance to blink. Brandon caught a last glance of the troll before he disappeared and slumped back to lie against the hard ground. He scrubbed a hand down his face wearily, his blonde hair almost unrecognisable from all the mud in it.

"And he got away."

The sound of Sky's laughter had them glancing at him in surprise. Timmy was sitting sedated in front of him, his hands having been bound somehow by the shackles. He struggled to move and stand but the power of the cuffs was too much and he slumped down again.

"At least we know the shackles work," Sky said, sounding surprisingly upbeat. "You ok, Timmy?" He retrieved the cuffs and Timmy rubbed at his wrists.

The three Alfea girls approached them, ugly sneers on their faces. "I thought you guys went to a school for Bravery not botchery," one scoffed. The guys' faces burned with embarrassment and the girls turned and walked in the opposite direction of the troll without a single word of thanks.

"Later losers," one girl called over her shoulder before they departed.

"That's the thanks we get?" Brandon called after them.

The group decided that it was as good a time as any for a break. There was a surprisingly clean stream nearby where they could wash the mud from their skin, plenty of nearby rocks to sit on and sunshine to warm and dry them.

Bloom was scrubbing a stubborn splodge of mud on her knee when she noticed Brandon's absence. While most of the group had convened after a quick wash for a chat and something to eat in the sunshine, they were notably missing two people. She found Riven easily. His permanent scowl and cold demeanour were hard to miss. She watched him skip rocks across the streams surface, a little further down. With no desire to go and talk to the brooding guy she looked in the opposite direction for Brandon. It didn't take her long to spot his hunched figure in the distance.

Sky also seemed to have noticed his squire's absence and caught Bloom's eyes. He raised an eyebrow in a clear question, _You or me?_ In response she stood and headed towards Brandon.

She stopped right beside the rock he was perched on and paused for only a moment before flopping down next to him. Bloom could feel his eyes on her, regarding her curiously but she didn't say anything choosing to simply stretch her long legs out in the sun and offered her water bottle to him. He took it with only a murmured "thank you" and turned his gaze back on the water in front of him.

She took the opportunity to study him herself. His hair was back to it's original golden blonde, the wet strands tied back into a small ponytail at the base of his neck, something that she was finding insanely attractive. He had managed to get the majority of the dirt off his Red Fountain uniform which consisted of a beige and navy blue tight fitting suit that did wonders for his physique and a lighter blue cape fastened with a gem the same colour as his weapons.

Brandon looked at her suddenly, caught her looking and quirked an eyebrow with a playful smirk. Bloom fought the colour that she was sure was rising in her face.

"Hey," she said finally.

"Hey."

"You know you shouldn't let what those jerks said get to you." It was obvious to Bloom in the slouch of his shoulders and contemplative look on his face that what the others had said was really weighing on Brandon's mind. "I thought you were very brave. All of you," she added hoping he didn't catch her slip.

"The troll still got away didn't he?" Brandon's tone was emotionless as he stared out over the sparkling water.

"You did what you could and saved those fairies."

"Yeah," Brandon sighed and raked a hand through his hair distractedly. "But we're sophmores and we should've been able to handle it. What Stella said was right. We're not specialists just a bunch of rookies," Brandon laughed sardonically.

"But…"

"The only thing we seem to be able to do together, is argue." Brandon shot a bitter look at Riven who was still standing by himself.

"If you don't mind me asking, how did Riven become apart of your group? He doesn't seem like you all get along with him," Bloom asked carefully.

"It's true we weren't friends before we were put together. Well it's like this, most of freshman year at Red Fountain is just individual and group training, ok?" Brandon explained and Bloom nodded her understanding. "You're not in an specific group and work with everyone to see who you fit best with. Then towards the end of the year, you start to nominate who you want to be your training group to be. The teachers let you mostly choose in your group because you're stuck with them for the next three years and all your assessments are judged based on a group performance.

"Me, Sky and Timmy were already friends so we joined as a group. But then within a few weeks Riven was being kicked out of any of the groups he joined because… well you saw how he is. So Codatorta - who is our head teacher - asked us if he could join with us. And since four or five is the ideal number for a group and Riven was one of the best in our year we thought any personality issues would be worth suffering through if we got good marks. And now we're kind of stuck with him. It's our first assignment and everything seems to turn into an argument with Riven." Brandon shook his head irritably at the end of his explanation.

Bloom sat for a moment and absorbed all she had learnt about Riven. It must have been horrible for both Riven and the boys. Riven having been shoved from group to group, obviously unwanted and the guys having an extra member who disrupted their whole dynamic.

"Maybe you guys just need to-" She was saved having to figure out an answer by an outburst from down the bank.

With an quick glance it was easy to figure out what had happened. Riven had tried to join the others only to run straight into an argument with Sky. Brandon tugged her to her feet and quickly lead her over to the fighting pair. It was obvious by their raised voices, tense shoulders and close proximity that the fight could quickly come to blows and Brandon was preparing to defend Prince Sky if it happened.

"Don't blame me Sky," Riven was shouting. "I'm not the one who shackled Timmy."

"Bro. _You_ had the shackles." Brandon answered back.

"Me?" Riven asked incredulously and took a threatening step closer to Sky, who refused to back down despite his shorter stature. The girls watching the argument looked torn between amusement, shock and irritability.

Timmy however simply looked fed up with the situation. "Knock it off you two. We all messed up… together. Can you at least agree on that?"

Riven looked ready to argue the point but Sky quickly jumped in. "Timmy's right. And we should at least agree to that point. Don't you agree, Riven?"

Riven barked out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, I agree." Timmy nodded happily and instructed the two to shake hands and make up, which they did with only a small amount of grumbling. Sky noticed that Bloom and Brandon had come back and explained.

"Riven and I have called a truce."

"I'd prefer an ever-lasting peace but I'll take what I can get," Brandon grinned.

Riven allowed his own smile for only a moment before he was all business again. "Come on, break time's over. We have a troll to catch."

* * *

In a deep part of the swamp, where the light couldn't reach the Trix lounged against a thick tree. As the minutes dragged by they could feel their patience waning but they remained silent waiting for their trick to work and lure the troll to them.

"If I had known it would take so long, I wouldn't have worn these shoes," Stormy complained, sliding down the tree until she was sitting uncomfortably on the ground.

"Quit your whining," Icy grumbled. "That empty headed brute will be here soon enough. Right, D?"

"Well that's the plan." Darcy shrugged. "But what if the hero dorks already caught him?"

Icy threw her head back and cackled. "Those losers? Nah, besides once the troll picks up our 'Fume de Doon' perfume he'll come running so fast even the most experienced troll hunters would have trouble catching him."

"And if he got stuck in the sink slime?"

"Or what if the Quietus Carnivorous caught him? He does like to roar?" Stormy's negativity seemed to have made even Darcy question their plan.

Icy frowned at their questions but was saved answering by the annoyingly shrill quack of a duck. Her eyes slid to the ground where her newly attained duck had appeared. The duck, or Pepe as Stormy had taken to calling it, followed the Trix around compulsively always managing to pop up wherever they happened to be. Most of the time Icy could shrug off it's company with a heartless well-aimed kick but after yesterday where Pepe had followed her to class, damaging her rep as a badass witch, Icy was in no mood to deal with the creature.

Darcy looked down her nose at the grey duck while Icy fumed besider her. "You again?"

"So cute."

Darcy turned to Stormy in confusion unable to decipher if her friend was being serious or just ironic.

"I despise cute," Icy spat and pointed menacingly at the innocent duck who was immediately encased in ice. "That ought to keep it quiet."

The sudden roar from their right tore the Trix's attention away from the duck. They peered into the darkness with mild interest, all three of them hoping it was their troll so they could get out of the swamp.

Icy smirked satisfactorily. "Told you he'd be here," she said.

The troll emerged from a patch of closely growing trees and wandered over to the witches, sniffing the air appreciatively.

"Listen up troll," Stormy barked, demanding the brute's attention. "You were being taken to Magix to be interrogated, but, see unfortunately - for you at least - we can't let that happen."

The troll blinked blankly back at Stormy, obviously not comprehending a word she had said. Stormy rolled her eyes with an exaggerated groan and wondered why she bothered in the first place.

Icy, decided to pick up the explanation anyway. "That's right. Our secret has to vanish."

"Which means you have to vanish as well," Darcy finished unapologetically. "Have fun in limbo." With those parting words each witch held out a hand, shooting a beam of magic at the troll who promptly disappeared having been blasted into another dimension.

The witches stared at the space which the troll had so recently occupied for a moment before the silence was broken by the cheerful voice of Stormy, "Well that was fun."

Icy rolled her eyes and turned away. "Let's get back to Cloud Tower." The Trix teleported without another word leaving only the faintest smell of burnt sugar and the hair-raising feeling of dark magic behind.

* * *

Not too far away, the girls and the specialists continued to follow their instincts further and further into the dense trees. The light slowly leached from their surroundings leaving them in almost complete darkness. Bloom and Flora lead the others, who followed closely behind. No one wanted to get lost in the trees which were getting darker and spookier with every step the group took.

"What do you hear now, girls?" Brandon asked Bloom and Flora.

"It's not exactly a sound," Bloom said, trying to explain the strange feeling resonating from deep inside her.

Flora hummed in agreement as she tried to think of the right words. "It's more like something you feel inside. You can't hear the voice of nature with your ears."

From behind Brandon, Sky huffed out a breath as he considered their words. "Well, I've been trying but I can't feel anything at all. I guess we'll have to trust that we're on the right path."

Tecna nudged him gently as she passed him, smiling reassuringly. "I can't hear the Voice of Nature either. I'm from a wired realm and I was taught to trust in what I could see and analyse. But I know we can trust Bloom and Flora on this."

Bloom and Flora smiled graciously at the praise but the warm expression soon melted from their faces as they slowed to an uneasy stop and eyes the space in front of them nervously.

"What is it?" Riven asked, working to keep his tone light and not impatient. He knew that getting frustrated with the girls would only lead to another argument between him and his team.

"The feeling stops here," Bloom said after a moment's thought.

The others exchanged bewildered glances before looking to Flora for direction. But the brunette was standing as still and as firmly as her friend and didn't seem inclined to move any further despite the lack of troll in the area.

"How can the feeling just stop here?" Sky wanted to know. "Where's the troll?"

"Gone."

The odd note in Bloom's voice told the group more than her actual words, making it clear that the troll had not just walked away from the swamp.

"There's something else," Flora said quietly. "There's really negative energy in the air here." Flora's words were punctuated by a sudden tremor that wormed it's way down Bloom's spine.

Tecna whipped out a small hand-held device and took a quick analysis of the area. "Singed ions," she said finally. "That indicates dark magic."

"So what you're saying is that someone used dark magic to make the troll vanish?" Sky asked, with a frown.

"Who would want to do that?" Timmy wanted to know.

"Well we know that the troll works with Knut and we know that Knut is the grunt for the three witches," Musa said. Bloom rolled her neck, thinking hard about everything she'd seen today. About how the aircraft had been taken down so mysteriously and how hard it had been to track the troll, when by all rights it should have been a piece of cake. Her gaze slid to the ground and rested on a small dark grey feather. She spotted another one almost instantly nearby. And another by a near tree.

"So you guys think that those three witches are the ones who shot us down," Brandon was saying.

"Hey," she said, getting the others attention and nodding her head pointedly, she nudged the feathers with her boots.

"They appear to be duck feathers," Tecna said, bending down to get a closer look at the feathers.

"And don't we know three witches being stalked by a duck because of a spell _we_ cast?" Flora said with a slight giggle. The boys looked at the girls curiously, having not been filled in on the antics the witches had gotten up to at the start of year ball. Musa's next words were self explanatory however.

"The Trix."

"Looks like we got the proof we need," Stella said matter-of-factly, slapping a mosquito that had landed on her thigh.

"But what are they up to? They must have a pretty good reason for wanting the troll." Bloom's frown was deep and contemplative. Her friends shared smiles before tugging on her elbow, drawing her away from the dark confines of the trees.

"We aren't going to find anything out now that they've left," Flora told her gently, when Bloom looked like she was going to resist.

"Plus I would love to get out of this swamp before I'm completely overcome by bugs." Stella was practically running, the words being casually tossed over her shoulder.

"I bet the rest of our class has already finished," Tecna said with a frown. So used to being the top of every class task it was hard to admit that they had probably come last in a assignment.

Timmy laughed at her forlorn expression. "How about this, if we can get the ship working again, we'll give you a ride back to your class."

The girls followed the boys back to their now only slightly smoking wreck of a ship, which the boys immediately got to work on, opening the hatch in the side which revealed the large and complicated looking engine. Tecna was immediately drawn closer by her interest in the mechanics of the craft, casting suggestions that made Riven frown in irritation but seemed to work pretty well, judging by the approving sounds the other boys made. Bloom sat nearby and watched, fascinated by the way the four boys could work together so seamlessly, passing each other tools and assisting with fiddly tasks without having to be asked despite the arguments they had been having all day. The other three girls had wandered off, becoming bored very quickly and were talking about a concert they had all happened to be at during the previous summer.

After a long hour filled with quiet cursing and bewildered looks, the boys and Tecna managed to get the ship back together enough to fly them back to Red Fountain. By the end of the hour Tecna and Timmy had all but taken over to get the ship in working order again while the others watched.

Tecna stepped back with a sigh and swiped a hand over the sweaty brow. "Well that should do it, I think."

Timmy also stepped back, rubbing absently at a splodge of grease on his elbow. "Yeah, I think that'll get us back to school where we can fix the ship properly."

Stella appeared over Bloom's shoulder, Flora and Musa right behind her. "So is the hunk of metal up and ready again?"

"Sure is," Sky answered, pressing a button to make the door lower. "All aboard ladies."

The girls made their way up onto the ship with the guys following suit. They buckled themselves into the numerous seats lining the controls and Riven took the driver's seat, his fingers moving so fast that they almost blurred as he prepared the craft for flight.

Brandon and Bloom ended up next to each other in their seats, Stella and Sky sitting not far down from them, both girls helping the guys scan the monitors for external threats.

"So do you think you're going to get into trouble," Brandon asked Bloom as the craft slowly lifted into the air. His eyes were fixed firmly on the radars, evidently not wanting to miss any attacks this time but his body was turned to Bloom.

"I don't know," Bloom confessed, worrying her lips between her teeth as she thought about it. "Not a lot hopefully and Palladium seems pretty chill so…"

In no time the group was descending into Crystal clearing where the rest of the nature class was waiting. Professor Palladium along with the rest of the class tracked their movements with their eyes carefully. Once they had landed and the ramp lowered, the guys unbuckled themselves from their seats and stood, awkwardly shuffling their feet and looking at the ground.

"Aren't you guys gonna walk us to class," Stella joked.

It fell on Brandon to explain. "We'd uh, well we would but we're actually not supposed to leave the ship."

"Ha, kind of blew that rule today didn't you?" Musa laughed.

"It's cool," Bloom said quickly. "Hope you don't get into too much trouble." Bloom waved and exited, the other girls following, calling their own goodbyes over their shoulders.

"See you."

"Later tater."

The guys' waving forms disappeared from view as the ramp ascended and within a few minutes the craft was taking off, headed in the direction of Red Fountain. The girls turned back to their class and approached quietly, all too aware of the long analysing look Professor Palladium was giving them. When they joined the class, he finally addressed them. "Your group is by far the last to arrive and so, unfortunately you receive a zero for punctuality."

Despite expecting this, the girls hung their heads in disappointment. Their heads jerked up in hope at his next words however.

"However I watched you throughout today's exercise and despite your tardiness, I'm really satisfied with your work. Therefore your receive, thirty points for generosity, twenty five for initiative, forty for courage and fifty for your ability to listen to the Voice of Nature, which makes your score the highest."

The five girls traded grins, excited that they were being rewarded for their hard work.

The shrill voice of another student interrupted their proud moment however. "That's not fair. They were the last to get here." Amaryl, one of the girls they saved from the ogre earlier, pushed her way to the front of the group, her face set in a frown.

Palladium merely chuckled at her complaining. "But I never said it was a race, did I? Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination," he said wisely and beckoned for them to follow him back up to the school.

* * *

At Red Fountain, the guys were just finishing up work on their craft. Not only was it sparkling from the wash they had given it, they had also spent hours fixing it. Finally it was flight ready but they weren't allowed to go to bed just yet.

"I can't believe we have to clean the jousting stables after we're done here," Sky sighed. He was leaning against the work bench watching the others rather than helping, having been shooed away early on. Mechanics weren't his specialty since he tended to get frustrated rather quickly when things didn't work straight away.

Brandon glanced at his best friend and chuckled. "Don't act like you've done so much work."

Sky held up his hands in surrender. "I washed it, didn't I? Besides you didn't want my help."

Brandon just laughed again and scraped a hand over face, smearing grease over his chin before ducking back into the control panel of the craft.

"Don't forget we have to clean the creatures as well as the stables," Timmy reminded them, his voice muffled by the thick metal of the ship. Being the smallest and the best at mechanical work, he had been volunteered to climb right into the interior of the ship to work.

The guys finally concluded that the ship was in perfect condition and stepped back, careful not to get any grease on the sparkling paint.

"I guess we deserve it, losing the troll and all," Riven sighed, setting down the spanner he'd been wielding.

"And the punishment could have been worse," Timmy said fairly.

"Remember you said that when you're dealing with the griffin," Sky groaned as they set off for the stables.

"Oh I don't know," Brandon said. "Remember last year when Marcus had to climb into the digestive cavity of the Bingledip Beast?"

They all groaned at the memory of Marcus after he had crawled out; he'd been in a bad mood for weeks after that particular punishment. The groans faded to laughter as they pushed and shoved each other, each of them feeling like maybe they were finally on their way to becoming a team.

* * *

Back at the Alfea castle the five girls were all settling down after their showers in the dorm's living area. The tv was on and playing some kind of reality show about a cooking competition between pixies but none of the girls were paying much attention. They were all exhausted after their day in the sun, and talking sleepily to each other in the dark, the tv being the only light in the room.

Bloom was sprawled across the lounge, head in Flora's lap, who was working her finers gently through the tangles of Bloom's wet hair, and feet in Stella's. She'd just gotten off the phone with her parents after her nightly call and had come back to find the other girls contemplating a group name.

"It's a good idea," Tecna was saying, trying to convince the others. "A name is good for quick reference."

"But it's so lame," Musa countered.

"Besides, do we really need it?" Bloom asked, glancing around at the others. "I mean if we were an official club I would get it, but we're just… us. Just a group of friends."

The others all made low murmurs of agreement, Tecna's a bit grudgingly. But then a strange look crossed Musa's face and she glanced away.

"What is it?"

Musa sighed and picked at the blanket thrown over her legs. "It's nothing, I just… have never really had a group of close friends," she explained finally. "My dad was supposed to be the next king of the Harmonic Nebula but he abdicated so he could marry my mother. So, I never really fit in anywhere. I was royal but not, and so most of the royals didn't want much to do with me, and I was normal but with the wealth and priviledge of a royal, so no one else wanted to be my friend."

"Don't worry, being a princess didn't really help me either," Stella said with a weak smile. "Most princesses are backstabbing bitches and I wasn't exactly anyone else's top choice anyway. Maybe they were jealous of my clothes?" she added thoughtfully, making the others smile.

"All my friends were my girlfriend's friends first and I'm pretty sure they'd all side with her if we ever broke up," Flora put in.

"You don't really have friends on Zenith," Tecna said. "I mean not offline anyway. I've never had so much face-to-face interaction with people outside of my family before."

"I had friends," Bloom said slowly. "But we never- it always felt a little superficial, I guess, we would hang out but I never felt like I could talk to them about stuff like this."

They all lapsed into silence, each considering each other's story's. They were all outcasts in their own way and somehow fate had brought them all together. It was a nice thought, that they were somehow destined to meet each other.

Without needing to talk about it further they let the matter drop, and they each turned back to their own activity, Stella absorbed in her phone and no doubt Prince Sky, Tecna was working on her laptop, Musa, and Flora were both watching the tv. Bloom's phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out, wondering if it were her parents texting her something they'd forgotten to say on the phone before. But instead it was a text from an unknown number.

 _ **Unknown:**_ _Hey, it's Brandon. I had fun hanging out with you today._

Bloom couldn't help but smile at the sweet text as she programmed the number into her contacts. Brandon had asked for her number while they'd waited for the ship to be fixed but she certainly hadn't expected him to text her the same night. Everything she had ever heard her friends say about boys and timeframes for calling flashed through her head but eventually she shook it off and concentrated on typing out a response.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Aside from the troll and the sunburn, it was a pretty good day._

Brandon's response came not a minute later and made Bloom smile.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Ouch! Hope you feel better soon. Sending good vibes._

She sent back a simple smiley face in thanks before letting her phone drop onto her stomach and focussed on the television again with a feeling of happy contentedness; she'd survived her first week at Alfea and was ready for whatever the coming ones had to throw at her.

* * *

 **Another chapter up, not much to say this time, just Merry Christmas and happy holidays if I don't post again before then, hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you thought by leaving a review xx**


	6. Chapter 6

A few weeks later found the friends in the Alfea school kitchens, which were thankfully deserted as the school cook had not yet begun to prepare their dinner for the night. That morning Stella had found a DIY Good Judgement Spell in her issue of _Teen Fairy,_ but the ingredients they needed could not be found in the schools potions laboratory which was what had them in the kitchens. However they were lacking one particular member as they slaved over the ingredients.

"So where exactly is Stella? Wasn't this her idea?" Musa said, wiping a hand over forehead, before turning back to her potato. Each teenager had a potato they were peeling as part of the spell.

"Uh, I dunno. She said something about meeting us down here later," Bloom answered absently, typing away at her phone.

After dodging her Earth friends' texts for the first two weeks, Bloom had finally given in one night and skyped them, giving them a semi-truthful version of what had gone down. They knew that she was at a new boarding school, she'd told them that it had been a spur of the moment thing, and that it was the right move for her. They just didn't know that the school was for magic or that it was in a whole other dimension. They'd been understandably hurt at first to hear that she'd moved to a school they thought was across the country without saying goodbye, but they'd gotten over it pretty quick and were regularly texting her updates about Gardenia.

 _ **Kayla:**_ _Dan and Mia broke up today, fyi._

Bloom frowned at her phone while trying to remember which one Mia was; her friend Dan was nice but seemed to have a new girlfriend every week and Bloom had long since stopped trying to remember them all. Giving up on trying to decide if Mia was the blonde with long hair and a sweet face, or the dark haired one, with a cruel twist to her smile and had made them all nervous, Bloom texted an obligatory condolences message to Dan before setting her phone aside and turning back to the job at hand.

Flora finished her own potato with a flourish and added it to the pile. "And that makes five hundred," she declared proudly.

"So only five hundred more to go?" Tecna sighed, flicking a potato peel at her friend. Flora darted out of the way with a shriek of laughter and swiped another vegetable.

"I'm going to feel like such an idiot, if this doesn't work," Bloom confessed from her perch on the counter. She finished off her own potato and tossed it to Musa who added it to the ever-growing pile.

"Well, it's from _Teen Fairy_ so if it doesn't work we'll just send them a scathing letter."

"What's the formula again," Tecna wanted to know.

"A thousand potatoes, a bushel of whipweed, a kilo of mandrake root, 2 litres of water, heated precisely to 123.6 degrees, cook for 40 minutes and drink a cup while doing a magic backflip." At her final words, Bloom kicked off the floor and used her winx to propel herself into a backflip. She landed back on her feet, grinning triumphantly. "Do that and you make good decisions all the next day. Good judgement guaranteed."

Tecna opened her mouth to say something, maybe to ask a question about the recipe but at that moment the kitchen doors burst open with a loud crash to reveal the Alfea chef. Chef Dubois, was a big burly man with a pronounced accent. Bloom had learned that he came from a planet that was renowned for its chefs.

"I thought I heard voices," he boomed, looking around at the group. "What exactly are you girls doing in my kitchen?

The girls glanced at each other, each begging the others to come up with an excuse.

Finally Bloom made a split second decision and let out the first excuse she could think of. "We were working on an experiment project for potion class." Chef Dubois narrowed his dark eyes at her but didn't challenge the excuse. Then he caught sight of the kitchen, which was covered in potato peelings, peeled potatoes and empty bags. His eyes grew to an alarming size as he took in every inch of his once spotless kitchen.

"My kitchen, it's a mess."

"The potion lab was signed out," Tecna said apologetically. But Chef Dubois could only gape.

"Besides we needed potatoes," Flora explained.

"Relax, maestro. Have a spud." Musa sent the potato she had just finished flying across the room which the Chef only just managed to catch. It was like Musa couldn't stop herself from pushing the boundaries. Chef Dubois goggled at her and then looked closer at the spud in his hand.

"My spiro potatoes. You've used up all my babies." The girls were sure he couldn't get any angrier but that was before he caught sight of the pan they had simmering on the stove. "And what is all this about?"

"That's a snack" Flora explained patiently.

Bloom and Musa approached the four frying pans, poking the omelettes inside to test their consistency.

"We got hungry."

"That is not how to cook," the chef said, referring to their multi-tasking with a dramatic wave of his hand.

"How hard can it be?" Musa asked, sliding up onto the bench.

"You have to show love to your food," Chef Dubois said, continuing as if she hadn't spoken. "Now flip them."

Flora picked up the pan and flipped her omelette successfully. Tecna followed suit, catching her omelette easily. Musa's enthusiastic throw almost resulted in her omelette on the floor but she jerked her pan around just in time to catch it.

"You cannot neglect it. You must put passion into your cooking," the chef continued to lecture, nodding in satisfaction as each girl caught their omelette. "Now you." He pointed to Bloom. She nodded with a frown, trying not to think about how bad she used to be at cooking. Unfortunately, her overly forceful flip, sent her omelette flying right into the slowly circulating fan overhead. The other three winced at Chef Dubois' stoic expression.

Not that much passion," he sighed.

"My mum never lets me anywhere near the kitchen," Bloom sighed ruefully with a shake of her red locks. "I guess I'll get a ladder." She turned to go find a ladder while Flora tried to turn the fan off.

"Don't worry I got it." She flipped the switch, accidentally making the fan go faster.

Tecna smothered a laugh, "I don't think that's going to work."

But Bloom had no such qualms and began to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand. Musa's proceeding rap just made her laugh even harder.

"Go little omelet spinning like a DJ, like it's your birthday, like you got your biggest fan, gonna serve you up with ham-"

"Knock it off!" The girls sobered at the chef's loud yell. His glare pinned Musa in place. "I see you need instruction in singing as well as cooking. In the kitchen, opera is the music of choice…"

As he rambled on and on, Flora finally managed to get the fan off. Unbeknownst to them however the omelette had started to slip and the descent of the fan propelled it right on Chef Dubois' large face. The egg splattered over his face and shoulders, staining his chef whites a bright yellow. "Normally, I'd find this funny but as _I_ am the one with the omelette on my face…"

He grabbed a nearby towel to clean his great, red face and strode back towards the door. "You might want to hurry with this project girls. You won't want to be here after I have a talk with the Headmistress." He burst out the doorway angrily, almost taking out Stella who apparently had been just about to enter. She watched his departure confusedly before turning to her friends.

"What's with him?"

The three girls shrugged, not all that pleased with their blonde friend after she had ditched them all afternoon.

Flora looked up from where she was checking the oven. "The whipweed is almost done."

"Well, anyway, like my new dress?" Stella executed a perfect turn, showing off the pretty orange halterneck she was modelling.

"The term fashionably late can only be applied to social events, you know," Tecna said reproachfully.

"Yeah, I know I said I'd help but… you're going to have to let me off today," Stella said with a secretive smile.

"Oh? What's the excuse this time," Bloom asked.

Stella waved a folded piece of paper. "I just received an invitation."

"Another shoe of the month club?" Musa teased as her hands skillfully detached the last sliver of skin from her potato.

Stella brushed off the taunt. "From Prince Sky. Finally."

That had all four girls attention at once. For weeks Stella had been wondering and grumbling about what was holding Brandon back from asking her out. Whatever it was seemed to not matter any longer. They dropped their potatoes and crowded around to get a glimpse at the note.

"He invited me to the Black Lagoon Cafe, tonight."

"Way to go Stella," Bloom said admiringly, taking the note for a closer look.

Musa pulled it from her. "Hand written and everything. Now that's commitment."

Stella took it back with a smile, but her expression faded as she thought. "But I can't decide what to wear. I desperately need a second opinion," she said hopefully.

The girls exchanged smiles and pulled her from the kitchen.

"Say no more."

* * *

Stella yanked open her wardrobe and pulled the clothes on the rack to the side, revealing a second row, much deeper than any of the other girls had realised.

"That's not fair," Bloom complained, thinking of her own meager wardrobe space in her own room. Flora, Tecna and Musa stepped closer, all clamouring at how unfair it was that Stella got the biggest room _and_ the most space for her clothes. Although, as it looked, Stella definitely had the most clothes by far.

When Bloom noted this aloud, Stella's only response was a heavy groan. "That's the problem; I have too many clothes to pick from. I need something really special."

"Doesn't this guy lose points because of the short notice?" Tecna wanted to know. Each girl was rifling through Stella's clothes, looking for something 'special' and 'romantic' as Stella had requested.

"Yes, but he gets bonus points for the formal invitation," Stella explained, tossing aside a short maroon skirt.

Flora who had been tackling the blonde's large quantity of dresses, pulled out a slinky black dress.

"How about this? Classic elegance."

But Stella only offered a wrinkled nose. "Maybe for a funeral. But definitely not for a date. It needs to be something… more."

Do you mind if I borrow it sometime then? I don't own much black."

Stella nodded and wafted her hand around her extensive wardrobe. "Mi wardrobe es su wardrobe. Same goes for all of you. Help yourself to any of the clothes here. Now, now no need to thank me, let's just get back to work. My outfit tonight needs to be perfect."

"Now I would love to hear the story behind this dress," Tecna said with a laugh, extracting something long and bright pink with strange blue feathers around the sleeves and neck. The other girls looked over with a laugh.

"Oh that. I designed it," Stella said proudly. There was a horribly long and awkward silence after that, as each girl scrambled for something to compliment the dress on.

"Oh," Tecna said uncomfortably. "It's very…"

"Very what?"

"Was it designed in the dark?" Musa murmured to Bloom. Bloom stifled her own snigger and nudged her gently. Leaving Tecna to pick her words carefully, Bloom approached the wardrobe again, searching for the blue thing that had caught her eye earlier. From the moment she pulled it out, Bloom knew it would be perfect. It's long pale blue arms added an air of elegance but the darker blue bodice was short enough to showcase her friend mile-long legs.

"Uh Stell? How about this one?" She held up the dress for the others to see. Stella wandered over, tapping her lip thoughtfully.

"I totally forgot I had this. It's perfect. I should get you to pick my outfits more often, Bloom."

Stella took it from her and slithered behind the privacy partition in the corner to change. The other girls congregated on the bed to see the end result.

"So will Brandon be there?" Bloom wanted to know, thinking about the cute blonde.

"No, Sky gave his servants the night off."

"Brandon is not Sky's servant," Bloom retorted defensively, not quite able to understand the bite behind her words. "He's the first royal squire."

Stella hummed an acknowledgment but was far more preoccupied with finding a pair of shoes to match her dress. She finally settled on a pair of towering blue heels, so pale, they were almost white. "Talk to me about these heels. Too much?" She asked, finally emerging to show her friends.

"Looking good, girl," Musa complemented.

"Love it."

"Hot stuff."

"The heels are nice. But they're not very practical," Tecna said with a frown but Stella just waved off her concerns.

"Musa, be a dear and get that green chest for me." Stella bent down to mess around with the strap of one of her shoes.

Musa rolled off the bed with a heavy sigh and attempted a wobbly curtsey. "Of course, your highness." She lifted the chest but it was clear that she was having difficulty. She huffed a piece of hair out of her eyes and hefted it over to Stella's desk. "What's in there."

"Just a few bits and pieces."

Flora went over to investigate and gaped at the overflowing chest of jewelry. "A few?" She asked weakly.

Stella rummaged through for a few minutes before extracting two chunky bracelets and a pair of sapphire earrings. After putting them on, she stepped back to consult her appearance in the mirror and after a moment's consideration, Stella removed the Solarian ring from her finger. She handed it to Bloom. "Mind keeping an eye on this for me?" At the mixture of shocked expressions on her friend's faces, she went on. "I don't need it, I have a real Prince to protect me. Besides when I'm wearing it, I tend to cast love spells accidentally. _And_ ," Stella added with a cheeky smile. "I have a feeling, I won't be needing it tonight."

Tecna watched her curiously. "I don't understand, why you get so excited over some guy."

Stella opened her mouth, maybe to argue, or maybe just to defend herself but she never got the chance because at that moment Musa interrupted her with a long sniff. "Anyone else smell that?"

Filling the room was the horrible and unmistakable smell of something burning.

"Oh jeez, we left the whipweed cooking," Flora cried with a slap to her forehead.

The girls filed out into the hallway, hurrying back to the unattended kitchen.

"Hey, we weren't done," Stella called after them.

"Sorry Stell. Have a good night."

"Yeah good luck," Musa added.

The girls sprinted through the corridors, dodging students left, right and centre. At one point Musa wasn't so lucky and collided painfully with a girl on her way back from the library, sending the poor girl's books in every direction. Musa called a quick apology over her shoulder but didn't slow down. Halfway to the kitchens Flora spied a fire extinguisher and waved the other three ahead while she tried to free it from it's stand. The closer the three girls ran to the kitchen, the worse the smell got and the hallway outside the kitchen was filling quickly with murky black smoke. They darted inside and yanked open the oven door, which immediately expelled a cloud of black smoke.

Bloom coughed and waved a hand in front of her face. "At least the whipweed is well done."

A cool voice behind them had them whipping around. "'Well' and 'done' are two words rarely used together whenever you girls are involved. I can't wait to hear the explanation for this one." Griselda appeared out of the clouds of smoke, a disapproving frown fixed in place.

Musa chuckled nervously and tugged on a pigtail. "What up, Miss G?"

Griselda ignored her and wiggled her fingers, prompting blue sparks to appear. At once the smoke began to fade and the smell left the room. Once all the smoke was gone and Griselda was satisfied that there was no chance of a fire, she turned her attention on the girls, preparing what was looking to be one of her best lectures yet. However the untimely arrival of Flora cut her off.

The door burst open with a bang and Flora came tumbling in, hand clamped down on the fire extinguisher's handle. White spray exploded everything, covering everything in the kitchen in a thick white foam; including one extremely unhappy Professor Griselda. Despite being also covered in the fire retardant, Tecna, Bloom and Musa were having a hard time controlling their laughter. Griselda made the foam disappear with a flick of her wrist and managed to catch sight of the girl's laughing forms.

"Since you're having such a good time in the kitchen, you can spend the rest of the night here: cooking dinner for the entire school." Without another word Griselda staked from the room.

The girls traded weary glances, trying not to think about how much work cooking dinner for the large school would take. They moped around the kitchen for a few minutes, idly starting prep for dinner until something occurred to them.

"You know, she didn't say that while we're here…"

"... we couldn't finish the potion," Bloom finished Musa's thought. The girls grinned at each other and got to work, two finishing off the remaining potatoes while the other two started work on dinner.

* * *

Over in Cloud Tower Castle, a certain trio of witches were stalking the dark corridors, discussing a certain blonde fairy.

"Do we know for sure she got the invitation?" Darcy asked after a covert glance around. Although she didn't think any other witch at Cloud Tower would dare disrupt their plans, it never hurt to be careful.

Icy, apparently had no such reservations as she threw her head back with a laugh and loudly boasted her confirmation. "I know she did. Knut said she jumped up and down squealing. Now doesn't that sound like her."

Darcy had to concede that that sounded exactly what a fairy would do. Stormy however was preoccupied by something else. "Actually squealing? Oh gag me."

"Love is so lame," Darcy agreed.

"You know why this plan rules?" Icy said. "Because we'll be killing two newts with one foot stomp. Her two friend's frowned in confusion and Icy explained herself with an eyeroll. "Don't you get it. Not only are we going to finally get the Solarian ring. But we'll also break Stella's precious heart."

Darcy and Stormy laughed wickedly at the sudden realisation.

"I do like watching a little pixie get her heart broken," Darcy agreed.

The Trix smiled menacingly at each other and headed for their room.

* * *

Much later that night, the girls lazed around the dorm, too exhausted from cooking to do anything more productive than watching tv.

Musa, however was grumbling about guys instead of watching the reality show that was currently playing. "But seriously, what is Riven's problem? Why doesn't he ask me out like Sky did Stella?" Musa asked, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout. Tecna could only stare at her incredulously. "I'm just saying…"

Bloom emerged from her room in her most comfortable sweats, leaving a sleeping Flora behind her. The nature fairy had flopped into bed straight away after coming back from the kitchen, falling asleep before her head could hit the pillow.

"Well, I've taken the potion and it should start working in the morning," Bloom announced, sprawling along the lounge. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Musa wants to go out with Riven," Tecna answered absently, already absorbed by the tv again.

Bloom pulled a face. "As if, he was so rude the other day. What do you even see in him?"

"I heard that boys will act rude when they're interested," Tecna answered before Musa could.

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Yeah but that's so immature. That's what all the boys did when we were ten."

Musa laughed and tried to explain that she wasn't interested in Riven in particular - although he did possess that bad boy, devil-may-care attitude that she was attracted to - she just wanted to go out and have some fun. With anybody.

"So Tecna, you think I should call him? But Bloom, you think not?" Musa asked looking between her two friends.

Tecna shrugged, thinking she couldn't be the best person to go to for advice on dating. "Ask Bloom tomorrow when her good judgment spell kicks in."

The girls chuckled, bade each other goodnight and parted ways for their own rooms.

* * *

The morning calm the next day was broken by the sound of angry yell, followed by a loud crash, waking up every inhabitant of the dorm.

"What's that?" Flora muttered jerking upright, her brown hair tangled around her head like a tornado. Bloom spat out a mouthful of her own hair and looked around blindly for a few moments trying to source the sound of yelling. There was another loud crash and a yelled curse word that had both girls raising their eyebrows in surprise.

"Is that Stella?" Bloom asked incredulously, scraping hair away from her face.

The girls blinked at each other and they heard another infuriated yell that was unmistakably Stella.

"She didn't wake us up last night. I wonder how the date went."

"I'm going to guess, not well." Another crash, the loudest yet echoed around the dorm. "Come on, let's go see what's up."

The two girls slipped out of bed and padded out into the living room just in time to see Musa and Tecna doing the same. Musa's black pigtails were in disarray and Tecna was blinking owlishly in the early morning light.

"What's with Stella?" Tecna said, quietly approaching the blonde's door, as another bang sounded.

"I don't know but that sounded expensive."

Bloom knocked tentatively on the door. "Stella? Everything alright?"

"Is her good judgement spell working yet?" Tecna murmured to Flora, who just shrugged in response.

When Bloom received no answer to her question, she opened the door carefully, ignoring the other girl's telling her that it was a bad decision.

"Stella," she called cautiously. "Is everything alright?"

Stella suddenly appeared from behind the door startling all the girls into stepping back. She was still dressed in her date clothes and was wearing a sheepish smile. "Uh hi. What's up?

Tecna stepped closer to peer into Stella's room but their blonde friend stepped out of her room and nudged the door closed behind her. "We were going to ask you that," Tecna said instead. "What are you doing? And what's with all the noise?"

"Nothing, nothing," Stella said, perhaps too quickly as the rest of the girls stared at her, surprised by her sudden vehemence. "Just doing a little cleaning. A little reorganising. You girls go back to bed, I'll try to be more quiet."

But the friends waved their hands dismissively. They knew their alarms were about to go off soon anyway.

"What time did you get in last night? We didn't hear you."

"How did the date go?"

Stella shifted on her feet and glanced back at her room, acting as though the sudden onslaught of questions was unnerving her.

"I got in late, didn't want to wake you and the date went fine," Stella replied vaguely and made for her room again.

"Come on Stell, share all the gory details," Musa said.

"It was very romantic," Stella said shortly.

The girls exchanged glances. They hadn't expected that Stella would be so secretive with the details of her date. Actually they had expected to have to listen to her all day going on about every little thing. As if by telepathic conversation, they all mutually decided to probe deeper.

"Well did he walk you home?"

"Did he kiss you good night?"

"What did you guys talk about?"

But apparently that wasn't the right thing to do either because Stella just stalked away and yanked her bedroom door open. She paused and swung back around, her bronze eyes flashing with irritation. "God, don't you people have your own lives? Why are you so pathetically interested in mine?" With one last annoyed huff she disappeared into her room, slamming the door so hard behind her, nearby windows rattled.

Tecna, Bloom and Flora reeled backwards at the harsh words but Musa just balled up her fists and took a threatening step towards the closed door. "I'll show her pathetic-"

Bloom quickly grabbed her shoulder before she did something everyone would regret. "Let's just give her space. She'll get over herself eventually."

Musa stilled and thought it over for a minute with pursed lips before nodding tersely and pulling herself free, making her way back to her room to get ready for the day. Tecna followed close behind with a scowl on her face. Flora slipped back to her own room, more hurt than anything else, leaving Bloom to contemplate Stella's closed door. Bloom could understand Musa's anger. She wasn't all that happy with their blonde friend either but she also had always been taught by her parents to get the full picture before making a judgement and she didn't want Musa and Stella to get into a fight over a simple misunderstanding. Besides, between living in each other pockets for a few weeks and having such conflicting personalities they were bound to have a fight sometime and Bloom was sure it wouldn't be the first one of their friendship. It would all blow over soon enough.

* * *

Later in Professor Wizgiz's class, the girls were tasked with the difficult work of transfiguring their head into pumpkins and back again. They sat at their desks, row after row of pumpkins sitting where the girl's head should have been. However there was one empty desk, that Bloom couldn't help but notice.

The slight Professor was wandering about the classroom critiquing girls here and complimenting them there, apparently unconcerned by the one empty desk.

"That pumpkin is a little small Thalia."

"Good work, Amaryl."

"Very nice coloring here."

Once satisfied, he returned to the front and clambered onto the desk to face his class. "You girls look marvelous. Now to get your normal heads back. I want you to focus on what you looked like before the change and say very clearly _Decapadunkin_. And off you go."

The class repeated the incantation obediently. In some the change was instantaneous, the orange colour fading, the vines dropping off and the pumpkin flesh replaced by skin. In others however it took longer. After five minutes thought everyone but one poor girl had their heads back.

The girl's disembodied voice was shrill and panicky. "Professor, it didn't work. What do I do? _What do I do_?"

Professor Wizgiz took charge off the situation and leapt from his desk, sailed over the heads of his students and landed lightly on the student's desk. "Do not be alarmed Miss Mills. All this means is that you're thinking too hard about the pumpkin still," he said calmly.

"I can't help it," she cried. "Please get my head back."

Professor Wizgiz thought hard for a moment before his face lit up with an idea. "A good scare ought to do the trick. Let me see."

The professor snapped his fingers and a tiny mouse appeared out of nowhere and landed on his palm. The class leaned forward, all curious to see what the tiny mouse could do. The mouse twitched its nose, looked one way, then the other and just as the class were leaning back disappointed opened its tiny little mouth and let out a gigantic roar. The entire class jumped in their seats, many pushing back away from their desks just to put some distance between them and the extraordinary mouse. Miss Mills scream, however was the loudest and her pumpkin disappeared in a puff of golden sparks, immediately replaced by her head. Professor Wizgiz grinned victoriously and neatly backflipped off the desk and landed back on his own desk.

Giving the mouse an affectionate pet on the head Professor Wizgiz promised, "We'll find the antidote on day, Phil."

Surprising the class further the mouse answered back in a deep voice, "Thanks Wizzy."

The bell rang signalling the end of the period and the class scrambled to their feet, gathering up their books and bags. "Don't forget tomorrow girls, we're moving on to our first lesson on antosymbiosis. You'll be changing slugs into snails." The Professor yelled over the clamouring. "And Miss Mills please keep practicing your head transformations," he added as the class flooded out into the hallway.

Fighting through the crowd, it took the Winx Club several minutes to find each other but once they did they all started moving on to their next class together.

"That was so awesome," Bloom grinned.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool wasn't it? Oh excuse me," Flora said fighting her way through the crowded corridor. The hallways were always so hectic between classes with every student and faculty member of the school trying to move from one classroom to another.

"Guess Little Miss All-That decided not to come to class," Musa said changing the subject.

It was clear who she was talking about. One member of their group was notably absent, the same someone who had gotten into a fight with the other girls that morning.

"Something must really be troubling her. I hope she's ok," Flora said worriedly and then almost tripped as she was shoved by some senior girl dashing past.

Tecna caught her before she hit the floor and set her right again. "But still she should come. It's irresponsible to miss class like that."

"Besides who cares if she is ok? She was beyond rude this morning," Musa glared.

"I know," Flora murmured, eyes downcast. Of the group she was the most sensitive and hated when others were upset.

"Either way she's our friend," Bloom said, feeling torn. On one hand Stella was one of her closest friends at Alfea and it was obvious from her behaviour Stella needed a friend right now. But Bloom also had a class in just a few minutes. "I know something's up with her. I'm gonna go check on her real quick."

"You're the one with the good judgement, I guess," Flora said doubtfully.

"Good luck, girl," said Musa.

"You know we have Palladium's class in exactly 3.45 minutes right?" Tecna said after a quick glance at her watch.

But Bloom was already pushing her way through the crowd. She glanced over her shoulder. "I know but I'll be as quick as I can. Cover for me?" She said hopefully. Dutifully her friends nodded and wished her luck.

By the time Bloom got to the hallway of her dorm, the school was deserted, all of the other students having already disappeared into their classes. She moved quickly, not wanting to miss any more of her class than she had to. She pushed open the door calling out to her friend and gasped at the sight. The living room was a mess with the lounges tipped over and the drawers of the tv unit yanked out and emptied on the floor. A quick glance into her own room told Bloom that her room had received similar treatment.

"Stella," she said more quietly now, not wanting to think about why the dorm was in this level in disarray. "You in here?" She moved quietly to Stella's room and pushed open the door to find it just as messy as the other rooms had been and just as empty. Fighting off her increasing panic Bloom dashed across the dorm yelling for her friend. She yanked open the door to Musa and Tecna's room to find it completely trashed as well. "This isn't funny, Stella." She walked into the room to make sure she hadn't missed something.

A door slammed behind her suddenly and Bloom whirled around. Leaning against the wall casually was Stella, a strange smile playing on her lips.

"Welcome to the party, Bloom," she chuckled.

Bloom stared at her wordlessly, unable to understand how she could just stand there casually after all she had done to their dorm room. Stella pushed off the wall abruptly and stalked forward, looking uncannily like a lioness hunting her prey. Bloom fought the urge to back away from her friend and chose not to mention the disturbed dorm room.

"We were uh… worried about you today. You missed class," she said weakly, hating the way her voice shook.

"Aw how sweet," Stella cooed, voice dripping with condescension. "Now I'm looking for something and I need your help." Stella circled around to lean against Musa's desk, pushing a stack of music sheets off the surface lazily. They drifted to the floor, scattering as they did so and Stella watched their progress with a satisfied smirk on her face. Bloom used Stella's changed position to edge backwards out into the living room.

"I- I don't know what you're talking about." Bloom opened the door carefully and slipped out.

Stella's gaze cut back to the redhead and she strode forward abandoning all pretence of nonchalance. "Bloom, I am not in the mood." She snapped and kicked a desk chair out of her way, sending it spinning across the room where it crashed into a wall.

Bloom watched her friend carefully and scrambled for something to say. "Look if your date didn't go well, I'm sorry. But don't take it out on-"

"I want to know where my ring is, Bloom," Stella interrupted. "And you are going to help me find it. Right now."

"I don't need to help you find it. You gave it to me last night, you asked me to keep an eye on it."

"You've got the ring? Well hand it over you-" Stella cut herself off and her face contorted as though she was struggling to get a hold of herself. When she continued speaking her voice was calm and sweet once more, "Bloom I really need my ring back. Please go and get it for me."

But Bloom could hardly recognise her friend, her eyes were lacking the usual warmth they held and although her voice seemed calm there was an undercurrent of panic and condescension that she had never heard before.

"I don't think…"

But before she could finish, Stella seemed to run out of patience and let out an irritated yell. A purple ball of energy formed in her hands which she threw at Bloom with all her might. Bloom jumped out of the way, every nerve ending in her body on high alert. It didn't matter now that Stella was her friend, her adrenaline was pushing her to defend herself against the threat. Another blast hit the door behind her forcing Bloom to her knees just to avoid it. Then she heard the sweetest sound, footsteps running towards her and Musa's voice urging the others on.

"We're coming, Bloom."

Bloom got to her feet, knowing the fight was far from over. Although it seemed like she would have back up soon enough, Stella was still on of the strongest fairy's she knew and whatever had caused her to act this way, clearly had affected her decision making too.

"I don't know what's gotten into you-"

A third energy blast forced her to dodge again, but this time she wasn't quick enough and was grazed by the ball of magic causing her to cry out at the burn of pain. Stella took one step closer, looking ready to finish Bloom off but at the moment the dorm doors burst open revealing Flora, Tecna and Musa. Stella gave an irritated huff, as though she was more inconvenienced by their arrival than anything else. Then to everyone's surprise, her entire body turned a transparent purple and dashed towards the window. Once there Stella threw herself out amidst shocked gasps from her friends. The girls raced to the shattered window where they could see the purple figure disappearing into the forest.

"What is going on with her?"

"And what is with those powers. I've never seen her do anything like that."

"Did she throw that chair at _you_?"

"Oh no that was thrown at the wall. It was an energy ball she threw at me."

The girls spoke over each other, yelling to be heard all coming up with their own theories on why Stella was acting so odd. Finally Tecna gained the order.

"Alright, everybody shut it. Let's work through this calmly and rationally."

The girls sunk to the floor in a small circle since all the chairs had either been overturned or outright destroyed.

"So what's the most logical explanation for Stella's behaviour?" Tecna asked, sounding eerily like a school teacher.

"Her date went badly and she's just in a bad mood?" Flora guessed.

"Yeah but if that's true then there's nothing we can do until she gets over it," Musa pointed out.

"I don't think it was about her date," Bloom said quietly, thinking over everything Stella had said and done that day.

"Oh?"

"Well for one why would she take it to that extreme if it was just about her date?" Bloom challenged.

The girls shifted uncomfortably. "Well I love the girl but she's kind of a drama queen," Musa said.

"But she never even mentioned the date. She just kept going on about her ring and asking where it was."

"But didn't she give it to you last night," Tecna frowned.

"Exactly but it was like she didn't remember she'd done that."

"What if she's being forced to act against her will? There could be some sort of spell on her." Flora said, growing upset at the very thought.

"That's what I'm saying, you guys. Her actions just don't add up."

"Well how do we work out what's wrong with her, if we don't know when it happened." Tecna frowned as she thought through her question.

"She was fine before she went out so let's talk to suspect number one," Musa said, holding Stella's invitation aloft. "Prince Sky of Eraklyon."

"Next stop: Red Fountain?" Bloom suggested.

"No," Tecna said decisively. "Next stop is Palladium's class which we are fifteen minutes late for and then we're free for the rest of the afternoon."

"You've got to be joking?" Bloom said staring at Tecna's impassive face. "Stella's missing and you want to go to class?"

"If we don't go, it's going to look suspicious and they'll come looking for us. If we go, we can cover for Stella's absence and say she's sick and then spend the rest of the afternoon looking for her."

Bloom frowned, hating the idea that Stella would be on her own for the next hour but logically she knew Tecna's plan made the most sense. Reluctantly she and the others agreed and they gathered their books out of the debris of the room and headed for class.

The remaining forty-five minutes of class were horrible for the girls. All worried about their friend they could barely take in what the teacher was saying and got told off multiple times for not paying attention. But they made it through and finally the bell rang to signal the end of the academic day. They were up and heading for the door before the bell could even finish. The raced to their rooms, dumped their stuff and managed to catch the bus heading for Red Fountain just as it was about to leave.

The Red Fountain school was equally majestic as the Alfea campus, both having the same castle like air about them. Otherwise they were very different. While Afea was all pale pinks, striking blues and soft lines, Red Fountain was made of beige sandstone, edged in a darker orange and consisted of sharp edges. And there were people everywhere. Bloom had thought Alfea had a lot of students, possessing nearly three times the amount of her old highschool but Red Fountain with it's extra year had even more. All wore the same uniform, she had seen Sky and the other guys in, the only difference being in the colour of their capes. The lightest, a pale blue seemed to indicate first years while the darkest, a midnight blue was set for the seniors. The staff also seemed uniform in their clothing, each wearing a striped blue shirt with the Red Fountain insignia on it - a pair of crossed swords - and black pants.

If anyone saw the Winx Club and thought they didn't belong there, no one said anything. The girls wandered into the school gaping at the sheer size of it and realised pretty quickly that they had no idea where to go.

"Why didn't we have a better plan than this?" Bloom muttered as they scoured each face for familiar dark eyes and hair.

"Because we're idiots," Musa murmured back, eyes darting around.

"Oh for God's sake," Tecna muttered before latching on to the next guy they came across who had a cape that matched Sky's and the other specialists. "Um hello, we're looking for Prince Sky of Eraklyon. You wouldn't know where he is, would you?"

The guy frowned and thought it over. "I'm not entirely sure- uh hang on. Ben, hey Ben. You have classes with Sky right? Do you know where he is?"

Ben, a cute redhead, headed over. "Uh, not too sure. We just had class in the fighting rings. He might still be there. Here I'll show you the way."

The girls followed Ben as he pushed his way through the multitude of students, chatting incessantly along the way, despite none of the girls really listening to what he was saying. After a short walk he stopped and pointed. "There he is." Following the line of his arm, the girls spotted the familiar form of the Prince, leaning against a wall and playing around with his phone. They thanked Ben and hurried towards Sky.

"Sky, hey Sky," the girls called but the Prince seemed so engrossed with his phone that it wasn't until they were right in front of him, did he look up.

He jumped at their close proximity but relaxed quick enough once he recognised them. "Uh sorry, I was just - never mind," he started before slipping his phone into his pocket and smiled charmingly. "What can I do for you ladies?"

"We were just wondering if Stella seemed off last night?" Flora asked.

Sky blinked at her. "What do you mean last night. I haven't seen her since that day at the swamp."

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" Bloom said, worry coiling in her stomach. "She went out with you last night."

But Sky was already shaking his head, "I was here all last night. You can ask Brandon, we worked on our ship together."

"You really have no idea what we're talking about?"

"Look, it's not that I wouldn't ask her out but ever since that incident with the troll, we haven't been allowed to leave campus. That makes dating a little difficult."

"So you didn't write this," Musa asked, withdrawing Sky's supposed invitation.

"What does it say?" Sky asked, taking the paper that Musa handed over and reading through it.

"Spent so much time on your royal throne, you never learnt to read?" A voice suddenly mocked from behind them. The girl's turned and Sky craned his neck before rolling his eyes. Riven sauntered passed laughing at his own joke.

Tecna, Musa and Flora just turned away but Bloom couldn't help but answer back smartly, "Wow real funny Riven."

"Ignore him," Sky advised. "It's what everyone else does." He looked back down at the note with a frown. "I really don't know who wrote this, but it wasn't me. Sorry guys. What happened anyway?"

Tecna opened her mouth to explain when out of nowhere a dog came bounding over and jumped all over her. She petted it awkwardly on the head and tried to shrug the animal off her. "Yes, that's a good little canis lupus familiaris. Now go away."

The others chuckled lightly at Tecna's panicked expression as the dog sniffed around her ankles.

"They don't actually have handlers where you come from do they, Tecna?" Sky laughed.

"No, not exactly."

Suddenly a shrill whistle pierced the air and the dog paused, ears quivering and a familiar voice called, "Lady, come here girl." The dog, Lady, gave Tecna once more sniff before trotting off the the owner of the voice. The girls watched it go until it sat at the feet of a certain blonde Red Fountain student, earning herself a pat as reward.

"Brandon's her favourite. She ignores everyone but him," said Sky.

Brandon glanced up from where he was crouched in front of Lady. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"Just catching up," Musa said breezily, not wanting to get into the situation with Brandon.

Brandon's eyes found Bloom and he lifted an eyebrow in question but she just shook her head fractionally. It wasn't worth worrying anyone else when they weren't even sure anything had happened.

Just then a massive man rounded the corner and headed straight for their little group. Massive might have been an understatement, Bloom thought as she looked up and up and up at him. He was insanely tall, much more so than both Brandon and Sky even though neither were all that short and was packed with muscle. He was big and solid and Bloom was now fighting the irresistible urge to take a few steps back, even if it was just so she didn't have to crane her neck to make eye contact with the giant.

"Less flirting, more fighting, boys," he barked, voice deep and gravelly. "You're not in manner's school, this is heroics. I want you both to clock at least another hour of practice and then there's stables to clean."

"You got it, Professor," Brandon said.

"Right away," Sky added with a sigh.

The teacher nodded once and marched away, already growling more orders at an unsuspecting group of students nearby.

"That's Codatorta the terrible, we should probably get going."

Sky gave a small apologetic smile. "Sorry, I couldn't be any more help."

The guys waved and hurried off, casting furtive glances over their shoulders at Codatorta. They looked back once more and waved before disappearing around the corner. The girls waved back glumly and headed for the gates.

"So what do we do now?" Flora asked.

"We could check Magix, I guess," Bloom said, frowning at their predicament. With Sky in the dark about the entire situation, their last lead was out the window.

The bus ride to Magix was long and uneventful. The girls spent the trip trying to find anything they could on the mysterious Black Lagoon Cafe, but Tecna's usually reliable search engine was, for the first time, drawing a blank.

"I just don't understand," Tecna muttered, more to herself than anything and tapped at her little handheld device furiously.

"It's alright, Tecna," Bloom reassured her as the bus screeched to a stop. "We haven't tried my search engine yet."

"You have a search engine?" Musa asked skeptically as they jumped off the bus.

"Uh-huh. And it's real easy to operate," Bloom promised with a chuckle. "Watch." She stopped a nearby passing man with a gentle hand to his elbow. "Excuse me sir, sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you knew of a Black Lagoon?"

The man thought for a moment before shaking his head. "No, sorry miss. That doesn't ring a bell."

Catching on quickly the girls split up and started stopping various members of Magix.

"Excuse me ma'am," Flora said, stopping a woman and her dog. "Could I ask you a question?"

Nearby Musa was talking to a couple, trying to describe the place. "We're not entirely sure. I think it might be a restaurant or a cafe, but it might be a club."

"No, sorry," they said apologetically and kept walking.

Over and over they tried for nearly an hour before finally, admitting defeat they collapsed on the sidewalk.

"My feet are killing me," Flora sighed and rubbed at her arches.

"I just don't understand," Bloom said. "How could nobody in Magix have heard of this place?"

The other girls shrugged, equally perplexed by the strange predicament.

"Maybe it doesn't exist at all and someone just sent that invitation as a joke," Musa finally suggested.

"That would explain her bad mood," Flora added quietly.

"You know, I think Musa might be right. Let's just got back to Alfea and-"

But Bloom wasn't quite ready to give up yet. She wasn't convinced that Stella's rage that morning could be explained by a harmless prank. "No," she said firmly. "Just give me a minute to think."

They were all hot and tired and something about her tone rubbed Tecna the wrong way because she scowled slightly and stood to tower over her friend. "Bloom, just because you took that potion doesn't mean you're in charge. Besides-"

"I'm sorry if I care about our friend," Bloom exclaimed jumping to her feet.

Flora also stood stepping between the arguing pair. "Ok," she said. "I think everyone just needs to take a step back and relax."

Musa watched from her sprawl on the ground, ready to intervene if things escalated any further.

"What I was going to say," Tecna said coolly. " _Before_ you interrupted, is that we should go back to Alfea and if she's still not there or still acting strangely we could talk to Griselda or Faragonda."

There was a long moment of silence before Bloom hung her head dejectedly. "Oh," she mumbled.

"Yeah," Tecna said not unkindly.

"Sorry," Bloom said sheepishly.

Because Tecna couldn't see the logic in holding grudges she forgave her instantly. "It's alright. We're all tired but there's no use arguing."

"Right," Bloom agreed.

The appearance of an odd-looking stranger broke up their reconciliation and had them pressing together in wariness.

"Excuse me ladies. I noticed that you were looking for the Black Lagoon Cafe? That joint is like the hippest place and totally underground you know." He eyed them dubiously. "Though maybe you're not cool enough."

"No, we're cool," Bloom was quick to say.

Musa scoffed. "Yeah, man, we rock. We were hip when hip wasn't hip."

Bloom nudged her in the ribs as she tried to contain her laughter. "You've got to tell us where this place is."

"Just had to make sure," the guy said. "Just follow this main road all the way out of the city, cross the river and you're there. You can't miss it; it's this little cottage with a big oak tree out the front."

Bloom turned to the other girls excitedly. "Awesome. Thank you so-" she turned back only to find the man had disappeared and her thanks died on her lips.

"Where'd he go?" Flora asked.

"I have no idea," Tecna said. "That was weird."

"He was a little strange looking," Bloom frowned before shrugging it off and leading the others back to the main road.

They had no idea of course that they were being watched by that strange, little man who was laughing at his success.

The walk out of the city was long and tiring and by the time they were reaching the bridge to cross the river it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set.

"Looks like that guy's directions were right," Bloom said, nodding at the oak tree and the little cottage that laid just beyond.

But Tecna wasn't convinced. "Potion or no potion, I have a bad feeling about this."

The girls ignored her paranoia. "That must be the Black Lagoon Cafe," Flora said, eyeing the quaint cottage with interest.

"When we get back to Alfea, you should upgrade your search program," Musa teased.

"My search program works just fine," Tecna said loftily. She could a long look around the sunlit glade. "It's this place that isn't right."

Flora nodded and her usual smile was gone replaced by a frown. "I'm with Tecna. This place is very, very wrong." She walked over to the oak tree very slowly and held out her hands to feel along the bark. A great shudder passed through her and she made a quiet, distressed noise.

Almost afraid to ask, Bloom said, "What's wrong."

"This tree isn't giving off a life force," Flora explained. "It… it's dead."

At those words the other three flinched back and stared up at the golden brown bark and the healthy green leaves. Their eyes were telling them that the tree was fine but they also trusted Flora to know what she was saying.

"It's _what?"_ Musa finally said.

"It's dead and it's been that way for a really long time."

"How sure are you?" Tecna wanted to know.

Flora turned to them, determination lighting her eyes. "100% sure."

Across the clearing the door to the cottage suddenly burst open and a sudden wind whipped around, snapping their clothes against their bodies and tangling their hair. Something on Tecna's watch beeped and she lifted it to her face so she could see the face through the flying leaves and debris.

"There's a change in the reality pressure," she said, having to shout to be heard over the scream of the wind. "That means there's an illusion spell lifting."

The wind continued to grow in strength until the girls were forced to close their eyes against it's sting. Then just as quickly as it had begun, the wind died down again, allowing them to open their eyes and take in their new surroundings. The once sunlit glade was now dark and misty, the tree had lost all it's leaves and it's bark had turned a sickly black, and the cottage was no longer the quaint, well-maintained place it had been but now was old and run-down, with smashed windows and a drooping roof.

"I kinda liked the illusion better," Musa muttered, as she shivered in the sudden cold.

"I've got a bad feeling about all this," Tecna said, shifting from foot to foot and glancing nervously at the dilapidated cottage.

"Yeah but Stella could be in there," Flora said.

"Yeah," Bloom agreed. "Besides there's no point turning back now."

Cautiously they approached the open door of the cottage and peered into the shadowy depths. Bloom hadn't thought it possible but from what she could see, the inside of the cottage looked even worse than the outside. Taking a deep breath and figuring that since this had been her idea she should be the first inside, Bloom took the first step, leading the other three into the dark cottage.

Almost immediately there was a clatter of movement from the other side of the cottage which seemed to consist of a single, large room which sent Bloom stumbling back into Musa. Someone, or something moved across the room and disappearing behind a broken piece of furniture and everything became still once more.

"Did you guys see that?" Bloom ignored the waiver in her voice and focused on the general murmur of agreement coming from behind her. "Alright then," she said and took another step inside.

"Just for record's sake," Tecna said as they slowly inched their way inside. "Who's idea was it to come in here again?"

"Bloom's the one with the good judgement so it has to be the right move," Musa pointed out.

Tecna couldn't fault that logic but for once she wanted to say 'to hell with logic' and get the hell out of that creepy cottage. Something creaked overhead and everyone's head jerked up. After a moment the cottage became quiet once more but that only seemed to unnerve them further.

"Maybe we should cast some light," Flora said finally. "Take a look around?"

Before anyone could answer a familiar figure came walking out of the gloom, hand lighting up as Stella walked, to cast sharp shadows across the room. The girls looked at their friend but none made a move to embrace her after what had happened that morning.

"It's about time you showed up," she said, her usually chirpy voice twisted into a snarl. "Welcome," she said and spread her arms as if expecting a hug. Behind them the door slammed shut and they all heard the unmistakable and stomach-dropping sound of the lock clicking into place.

Stella didn't seem to notice their distress, or if she did she didn't show any notice of it. The ball of light in her palm levitated and hovered beside her head while she planted her hands on her hips. "Now," she snapped. "If you girls don't mind, I'm going to take my ring back. And while I'm at it, I'm going to teach you little pixies a lesson." Then, without even transforming she flew up into the air and hovered dangerously above them.

Bloom, who had brought the ring with her just in case had no intention of handing it over until she got to the bottom of what was going on with her friend. The others however seemed to have different things on their minds.

"What," Musa said dangerously. "Did she just call us?"

"Stella," Flora was saying carefully. "Your aura is very negative right now."

Evidently Stella had run out of patience because a ball of energy appeared in her palm which she sent flying at the group immediately. They immediately scattered, dodging the flying energy balls at all costs while simultaneously trying to find a defensible hiding place.

Bloom ducked behind a nearby pillar and dragged Flora along with her while the other two dropped behind an overturned table on the other side of the room.

"Damn," Bloom cursed when she realised their precarious position. Not only were they pinned in place without room to change forms but they were also separated from half their group. "We have to move," she whispered to Flora, who nodded fervently.

The pillar they were leaning against shook violently and Bloom realised that Stella was still attacking, slowly weakening the structure.

"I'm coming for you guys," Tecna called and transformed. " _Firewall shield,"_ she commanded and immediately, a green, digital shield erupted from her arm band, covering her from Stella's onslaught while she ran across the width of the room. "Need a lift," she grinned when she arrived and Bloom and Flora gratefully took cover behind her shield.

Together they ran back across, diving the last couple of metres when Tecna's shield finally gave in to Stella's energy blasts.

"Ready to surrender, pixies?" she cackled as the girls crouched behind the table and tried to formulate a plan.

Musa glared over the top of the table for a second before ducking back down quickly to avoid another blast from Stella's hands.

"Friend or not, she's gonna get it in a second if she doesn't shut up," she ground out.

"What does that mean?"

"It means she's going to get her ass kicked," Musa said and transformed.

Bloom grabbed her arm however before she could stand and start firing back.

"Guys, you know that's not Stella. Who calls us 'pixies'?"

While the realisation dawned on her friends faces, Bloom stood and prayed that she wouldn't get hit. Stella halted her attack, smirked at her friend before raising her hands again to resume when Bloom spoke.

"So which one are you then? Icy, Darcy or Stormy?"

The energy ball building on Stella's fingertips faded away and instead she brought her hands together or a slow clap. "And the last horse crosses the finish line. Congratulations." She lowered from the air slowly until her feet touched the ground again.

Not-Stella waved a hand over her face and Stella's features melted away revealing Darcy's cruel ones instead. "Here's your prize," she said sweetly and Icy and Stormy appeared on either side of her.

Bloom looked to her friends and said, "Let's do this." She and Flora immediately transformed while Musa and Tecna prepared themselves to attack.

The little, strange man from earlier ran between them however before they could move.

"Wait, wait. Change me back too."

Darcy smirked. "Certainly, Knut."

Bloom scoffed as Darcy waved a hand and a puff of smoke surrounded the man revealing Knut when it cleared.

"Now, what have you witches done to Stella," Flora demanded.

The three cackled and Icy waved a hand. "She's right here." Suspended in the air behind them, restrained by rings, appeared Stella.

Even as they watched they saw the rings tighten, squeezing tightly at her chest and throat. Stella's eyes flickered opened and they all saw the apology there. Bloom shook her head and hoped that Stella understood.

"You'd better let her go," Bloom said, turning back to the witches.

"And we will, Bloom," Icy said, her smile fake. "Just as soon as you give us the Ring of Solaria. Any you better hurry up, 'cause that portal coil up there will just keep squeezing her tighter and tighter until she pops."

"She's going to be splattered all over the wall," Stormy cackled when Bloom didn't say anything.

A long minute passed and Bloom watched helplessly as Stella's breathing grew laboured and strained as the rings crushed her.

"Time's running out," Icy said, glancing back at the struggling teen. "What are you going to choose?"

Stella was shaking her head desperately but Bloom had to look away so she could think.

"I say we fight them," Flora said quietly and shifted closer.

"It's four against three," Tecna pointed out from her other side. "The odds are in our favour."

"We're going to make you three wish you'd never heard of Alfea," Musa snarled and Bloom almost agreed right then and there and threw the first energy ball.

But then she looked up and saw a bead of blood trickle down Stella's throat from where the ring was cutting into her skin. They might have been able to beat the witches but Bloom wasn't sure they'd be able to do it before the ring's crushed Stella completely. And she wouldn't risk her friend like that.

So she tucked her wings away and shifted back into her usual form.

"Bloom?"

"We can't put Stella in anymore danger."

Hoping it was the right decision, Bloom plucked the ring from the pocket and handed it over to the smug looking Trix.

"You guys win this round," she conceded.

"Good decision," Icy simpered. "I knew we could count on the soft heart of a fairy."

"Now let Stella go," Bloom commanded.

"See normally I wouldn't," Icy said and Bloom snarled something unintelligible. "But I don't need her anymore."

She snapped her fingers and the rings surrounding Stella vanished and she fell to the ground with a painful thud. Bloom desperately wanted to run to her friend but refused to turn her back on the Trix. They were forced to watch as the Trix celebrated their victory, wielding the sceptre before finally teleporting themselves and Knut away.

Bloom waited until the last whiff of the witches had disappeared to run to Stella's side and dropping to her knees. The others joined them for one big group hug.

* * *

Eventually they moved out to the bridge a little way away. They'd healed all the bruises and cuts from the rings but Stella was still too weak to go anywhere but none of them had wanted to stay in that creepy cottage any longer.

They stood there in silence for some time looking into the water. Bloom was half waiting to be berated for the others for choosing to surrender rather than fight.

Finally it was Musa who spoke. "That was a good decision, Bloom."

Bloom blinked at her in surprise.

"Yeah," Stella conceded. "I wish I'd taken some of that potion last night," she said with a small smile. While Stella had initially bemoaned the loss of her precious ring, she'd apparently realised that being alive was more important than having her ring.

"Then you might have known not to go out on that date?" Tecna said and Stella rolled her eyes.

"Hey you know what?" Bloom said, just to stop the potential fight from breaking out. "I almost forgot to mix in the mandrake beet last night."

Tecna frowned. "Hold up. You're supposed to add mandrake root not a beet."

"Wait, she got the potion wrong?" Flora asked looking between the two. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yeah Flora," Bloom grinned. "This is awesome."

Confused, Stella asked, "What are you two going on about?"

"I'm a natural good decision maker," Bloom declared, getting a mixture of laughter and good-natured eye rolls from her friends; Musa punched her playfully on the shoulder.

"You didn't need the potion, just thinking you took it gave you confidence."

"Come on," Stella said, nodding at the city. "Let's get moving."

"You know what, the witches may have scored a goal but they haven't won the game yet. We'll get your ring back."

"Thanks darling," she smiled and looped an arm around her friend's shoulders, steering her off the bridge and towards Magix.

Meanwhile Tecna was still confused by Bloom's metaphor. "What game?"

"It's an expression," Stella laughed, then immediately yawned. "I could sleep for a week. I'm going straight to bed when we get back."

The others started to agree before they remembered the state they'd left the dorm in.

"Well we might have a bit of cleaning to do," Flora said, wrinkling her nose.

Stella groaned dramatically and steered them on. A moment later her phone beeped in her pocket.

"Who was that?" Flora asked curiously, after Stella had read the text with a large smile.

"Oh, just Sky checking in on me. He was worried," Stella sighed, sounding lovestruck.

Bloom laughed and looped her arm through Stella's. "Come on," she said, sounding amused. "Let's get back to Alfea."

* * *

 **Another day, another chapter. To the lovely guest reviewer who asked for more Stella/Brandon moments, I know there weren't a lot this chapter, but I have a couple planned for the next few chapters :) I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you thought in a reivew xx**


	7. Chapter 7

A few weeks passed and saw nothing but stagnancy for both the girls as well as their enemy, the Trix. While the fairies were at a loss as to how to get the Solarian ring back, the Trix were similarly stumped in trying to unlock the power of the ring.

It was a Tuesday night, and the three witches were spending it locked up in their room trying to tap into the power of the ring, a mission of their's for close to a month now. They sat in a circle, hovering slightly over the ground as they chanted and focussed their energy on the ring sitting innocently on the carpet between them. Their energy crackled around them and the trio gritted their teeth in concentration but the power amounted to nothing and burst from them without effect sending them crumpling back to the floor.

They pushed themselves upright, groaning and complaining the entire way.

"That was pathetic," Darcy groused.

"And that was the 14th power spell we've tried," Stormy added, looking at Icy meaningfully.

But the girl didn't seem to catch the look and simply grumbled her own agreement. "I'm wiped."

Knut, having been roused by the noise of the spell came lumbering out of the wardrobe he called a home. "What's going on?"

Stormy held up a hand, unwilling to deal with his oafishness while she was so exhausted. " _Turn right around and go right back to sleep. Close your eyes and pretend you're devouring a herd of sheep."_

Obediently Knut yawned and turned on his heel. "Goodnight. I'm going to bed."

"If you still have the energy to send that oaf back to bed then maybe you didn't try hard enough in the power spell," Darcy said nastily.

"Just because I have more power than you do," she spat back. "It wasn't my fault."

" _Then what are we missing,_ " Icy yelled suddenly causing the other two to jump. She'd finally pulled herself upright from her sprawl and was staring at the ring contemptuously. "Why can't we use the ring's full power!" She just about screamed when neither Darcy nor Stormy answered her. "Darcy," she snapped, turning on the brunette. "Did you do a realm wide search for all the jewelry spells that exist?"

"Yes," Darcy spat back. "I got every single spell that was listed."

Stormy rolled her eyes. "Can we just face it? The ring is obviously useless. We have to start looking for the power of the Dragon somewhere else."

" _Like where_!" Icy bellowed, her voice physically shaking the room. "Why don't you two make yourselves useful for once and _figure it out before I turn you both into newts."_

Stormy and Darcy rolled their eyes at each other and retreated to their beds, leaving Icy to her tantrum.

Icy picked up the ring she'd gone through so much to steal it and threw it across the room. "Stupid, useless piece of metal," she spat and dragged herself back to her own bed, not caring where the ring happened to fall.

* * *

As soon as they'd started plotting how to get the ring back the girls had decided that knowing why the Trix wanted the ring of Solaria was the best place to start. Obviously they knew that the Trix wanted the power that came from it but they had no idea what made the Solarian ring different from every other power enhancing trinket.

It was proving more difficult than expected because they were almost a month into their quest and still had no clue why the Trix wanted the ring so badly.

"Is that everything?" Stella asked, standing in the doorway and looking into the space that used to be the common room. All the furniture had been pushed into one corner and piled up and the floor was strewn with dozens of books.

Four heads in the centre of the chaos lifted to look at her.

"Every single book in the library that so much as mentions the phrase 'Ring of Solaria'," Bloom confirmed.

When it became clear that a simple realm wide search wouldn't tell them what they needed, they'd raided the extensive Alfea library. Bloom and Flora had been delegated reading all the books and marking the sections that referred to the ring explicitly, Musa would then read them with greater focus and decide on the most relevant facts and dictate them to Tecna who was compiling a summarised document. Stella's task was to stay as far away as possible while they worked since she and books didn't really mix well.

She stepped further into the room gingerly, trying to avoid stepping on any books or papers and closed the door behind her.

"So…?" she asked expectantly and sunk cross-legged amongst the mess.

Bloom rolled off her stomach, eyes swimming with text and pointed to Tecna expectantly. "Hit it."

"Ok, this is what we know so far: the ring is so powerful because it was created directly from Starlight, the most pure source of magic in the universe. But some sources say that the ring is extra special, because it's made of the same light that created this legendary being called 'The Great Dragon'."

Stella was nodding along like she'd heard all of it before.

Bloom rolled off her back and propped herself up on an elbow. "How much of this did you know, Stella?"

"Well I knew about all that Starlight stuff, my Mum gave me this long lecture when the ring was first passed down to me but the other stuff makes me think I should have it re-appraised."

"So this could be why the witches wanted it. It could have hidden power."

Stella just shrugged. "I guess."

"In that case we'd better get it back," Flora said, closing the book she'd been reading.

"We have to get it back anyway," Stella pointed out. "I'm so useless without it."

"True that," Musa laughed. "In Magical Defence class she got beat by a keekbug."

The girls chuckled at the memory while Stella pouted.

"Wait," Bloom said, as their laughter died down. "Explain to me. You can do magic without your ring so what's the point. Does it just give you extra power?"

Stella shook her head. "It gives me extra power sure. But it also helps me focus my power in an attack. It sort of makes my magic sharper, if that makes sense?"

Bloom nodded thoughtfully and slowly the group drifted back to their tasks, while Stella messed around on her phone. _Probably texting Prince Sky,_ Bloom thought with a quiet laugh.

Meanwhile something else was bothering Bloom.

"I still don't understand," she said, setting aside another book. "Why we don't just go to Faragonda or another teacher and explain to them that the witches stole the ring? Isn't theft against the law?"

The other four traded patient smiles.

"It's like I was telling you back at your house, Bloom," Stella explained. "Feuds like this amongst fairies and witches, especially teenagers, are so laughably common that it would be impossible to follow up on every single one. Until they seriously injure or kill one of us, no one is going to be interested."

"Attacking me the night of the dance, wasn't serious enough?" Bloom asked drily.

Stella smiled sympathetically. "Maybe if we could prove it."

"And shooting down the guys' craft?"

"Again, impossible to prove," Tecna broke in. "We can't even really prove that it wasn't simply a mechanical failure."

"So, we just wait for them to come after us again," Bloom shot back, starting to sound angry.

"No," Tecna answered calmly. "We find out why they wanted the ring and then we hit them before they can hit us." She levelled Bloom with a controlled look, waiting for her response.

Bloom dragged in a deep breath and let it out again with an audible sigh, but nodded an agreement and turned back to the books.

After another few minutes Bloom broke the silence, "When I looked up the Great Dragon, all I found was a restricted book and it would only show me one four-line paragraph. It said that although there's no proof of this, and that it's only a myth, the Great Dragon is supposed to have created the entire magical dimension."

Flora hummed thoughtfully. "So did the Dragon exist for real or is it simply a mystical symbol?"

"Maybe it just represents an idea: the embodiment of good versus evil."

"I think I'm going to go to the library and see if there's anything more about this dragon. There's still too many questions left unanswered." She pulled herself to her feet, scooped up a nearby Kiko and mindless of the books and papers scattered around the floor made her way to the door, while her friends called their goodbyes and wished her luck. Just before she left, she paused and sent a cheeky smile Stella's way. "You can take over for me and help Flora, Stell." She allowed herself the pleasure of watching Stella's face before she slipped outside the dorm, laughing quietly to herself.

She pulled Kiko from her jacket pocket as she walked, talking aloud to him to help her think.

"I've got to find out more about this Great Dragon. There's got to be a way to convince that restricted book to let me read more than that one paragraph."

A voice behind her had her freezing in spot.

"You were in the Restricted Vault?" Faragonda's voice wasn't overly harsh but Bloom could tell she wasn't happy either.

"No," Bloom answered automatically and spared a glancing thought that Alfea was making her lie much more than usual. "Uhh, I mean- That is- Yes," she finally conceded and waited for her punishment.

"In my office," she said simply and turned to lead Bloom.

Bloom groaned inwardly and moved to follow, carefully putting Kiko back into her pocket. Going to the principal's office was always worse than an on-the-spot punishment. Back at Gardenia High it was how you knew who was really in trouble.

Faragonda's office was lavish and the furniture elaborate but Bloom already wished that she would never have to see the inside of it again.

"I'm sorry, Ms Faragonda," she said immediately as her headmaster sat behind the large desk.

"Take a seat," was all she got in response. Faragonda leaned forward with her elbows on the desk and surveyed her young student intently. To Bloom's surprise however she didn't begin to outline Bloom's punishment but started talking about the Great Dragon. "The book showed me two chapters once, which described the beginning of the magical universe. At first there was nothing but out of the deep darkness there was a great solar explosion and from that fiery starlight an enchanted dragon was born.

"The dragon then used her fire to create all the different realms and planets within, spreading life and magic across the universe. At the end of her journey, the dragon landed on a world that would become known as Sparx. She made it her home, and eventually became one with the very planet itself."

"So that's how magic was created?" Bloom said and leant back in her chair, thinking over the story she'd just heard. "What's Sparx like now?"

Faragonda's small smile faded and a mournful expression replaced it. Bloom stiffened on impact, bracing herself for a sad story.

"Sparx used to be a happy and prosperous place, a result of the Great Dragon. But sadly, it doesn't exist anymore."

"How can a planet not exist-" Bloom broke in but Faragonda held up a held to silence her. Bloom bit her lip.

"A coven of evil witches seeking the Great Dragon's power, the Dragon Flame, went to Sparx, where it was said to exist. But when they failed to get it, they destroyed the entire planet."

Bloom's eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "A whole planet destroyed… but who could do something like that?"

"Very, very powerful evil forces."

"And all the people living there…?"

Faragonda's eyes were pitying and Bloom knew even before she got her answer what it was going to be.

"Killed."

Bloom drew in a shaking breath and pressed a hand to her mouth. "All that destruction for power…"

Faragonda heaved a great, shuddering sigh and when she spoke her voice was hoarse. "The loss of Sparx had… had an irrevocable effect. The magical dimension hasn't quite been the same since."

The pair were quiet for a long moment while Faragonda composed herself and Bloom tried to digest all she'd heard.

"I must ask," Faragonda said finally. "How did you get into the Restricted Vault?"

"I don't know," Bloom said thinking back. She'd just asked for a book and it'd come flying through the open gates to her. She hadn't even realised at the time that it was a restricted book. "It just let me in."

"Then, you were meant to go in." Before Bloom had a chance to ask what _that_ meant, the bell rang. "Off to class," Faragonda said and stood to show her to the door.

* * *

"I forgot to ask before," Tecna said to Bloom when they were all hanging out in the dorm that afternoon. "How did your research go?"

Bloom sighed as she thought about the confusing conversation. "Well it didn't _go_ exactly. Faragonda found out I'd been in the Restricted Vault and took me back to her office."

Flora sat up straight, looking worried. "Oh no," she said. "Was everything alright?"

"Did you get into trouble?" Musa added.

"Not really," Bloom said with an unconcerned shrug. "She asked how I got in and when I told her she just said that means I was meant to go in. Whatever _that_ means. And then she told me all about the Great Dragon." Bloom relayed the two stories she'd heard about both the creation of the magical universe and the destruction of Sparx.

When she finished the others were looking as shocked as she'd felt in Faragonda's office.

"That's terrible," Flora said, sounding on the verge of tears. Bloom shuffled closer and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Tecna was preoccupied by another part of the story however. "So you think that's why the witches want the ring. Because they think it holds the power of the Dragon Flame."

"Awesome," Stella said dreamily, already thinking about the potential power in her ring.

Hating to burst her bubble Bloom interjected, "But that's probably not the case."

Stella's eyes flew open. "What?"

"Because the story said the power was on Sparx," Musa said catching on.

"It _could_ still be in my ring," Stella countered.

"Maybe if it was the ring of Sparx, but it isn't. So most likely the power of the Dragon Flame power is still out there, unclaimed. Maybe somewhere on Sparx or in one of the descendants of someone who survived," Tecna finished.

"Fine," Stella groused. "We can work out the mystery of the Dragon Flame thingy later, but, first things first, how are we going to get my ring back? I can't do anything without it."

"And we have that major quiz in Metamorphosis tomorrow," Tecna remembered.

"That quiz counts for a big part of our grade. We have to get your ring back so you can pass," Flora said, sounding concerned.

"I got it," Bloom said, thinking fast. "We'll sneak in tonight while everyone's asleep and steal the ring back. We'll be back before anyone wakes up."

"I like it," Stella said. "But, _details._ How are we going to get into Cloud Tower."

"I know where to download a map of the inter-school tunnels," Tecna said.

"Hold up," Musa said, thinking of a problem. "What if they wake up while we're there or we get caught?"

The group was silent as they tried to think of a solution.

"Hypnosis spell?" Flora finally suggested. "Convince the Trix to give us the ring or that we're meant to be there?"

Musa considered it before shrugging. "Sound good to me. So we're all in?"

They all looked around at each other trying to gauge each other.

"No judgement if anyone wants to back out," Stella said. "It is my ring we're going in for, after all."

But nobody spoke up of their reluctance and Bloom held her fist in for a group fist bump.

"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us."

* * *

Sitting through dinner and evening free time was torture when all they wanted to do was get going on their mission but the girls managed it. They waited until the halls had become quiet and the final teacher stopped patrolling to slip out of their dorm and down into the tunnels that Tecna promised would take them directly to the Cloud Tower castle. Stella lit the dark tunnels with a palm of crackling fire that made more than a few of her friends nervous. Bloom was distracted from saying anything, like suggesting she be the one to hold the fire by the realisation that the map Tecna had been studying before they'd left was nowhere to be seen.

Flora, apparently had come to the same realisation because she said, "Tecna, where's your map?"

"After I downloaded it, I memorised it." Seeing the worry on her friend's face she laughed. "Don't worry I'll get us there safely," she promised and guided them expertly through a crossroads.

It wasn't actually too far-fetched an idea, Bloom supposed. Her friend had after all memorised both her class timetable and cafeteria menu for the rest of the year.

* * *

Up in the Trix's dorm, the three witches were conferring on the Dragon Fire.

Darcy had taken Icy's earlier threat to heart and had done some research to come up with a way to find the Dragon Fire. "I think I've found a way to locate the Dragon Fire."

Icy eyed her lazily. "Well," she said after a moment of silence. "Are you going to tell us what it is or what?" she snapped.

Darcy flushed slightly and glared at the blonde. "You know of the Whisperian Crystals, right, Icy? Well apparently-"

"You mean those useless trinkets that we were given at birth," Stormy cut in, sounding irritated.

"That had better not be your solution, Darcy," Icy hissed.

"If you'd let me finish," Darcy replied dangerously. "You'd know that when connected to those of your coven they have all sorts of magical abilities, _including the ability to locate great sources of power."_

Darcy smirked smugly at the stupefied looks on her friend's faces.

Icy's face quickly returned to blank boredom. "Finally, she gets to the point," she sniped nastily to Stormy, making Darcy's eyes narrow threateningly. "Let's do this then."

"Wait," Stormy said, holding up a hand when the other two went to stand. "There are too many sources of power around here," she pointed out. "Don't you think we'd better go out to the forest?"

"Not a bad idea," Icy said, sounding surprised that it had come from Stormy. Before Stormy could call her on it however, Icy had leaned over the railing off the mezzanine to bellow into the rest of their dorm. "Knut!"

The ogre, who'd been sweeping the floor, startled at the noise and twisted around.

"Hurry up and finish here," Icy ordered. "And then meet us in the forest."

"Yes, Ma'am," Knut grunted and busied himself with the broom while the Trix disappeared through a door masquerading as a mirror.

* * *

The girls came to the end of the underground tunnel, passed through the final doorway and found themselves on the ground floor of the Cloud Tower school for witches.

"We're here," Flora said, sounding stunned. "That was easy."

Tecna frowned and checked all her scanners. "Almost too easy."

They stepped further into the school and took a long look around the place.

"This is it?" Musa finally asked and sounded a tad disappointed.

"I'd thought it'd be scarier," Flora agreed.

While it was a dark and gloomy place and there were spiderwebs dotting the walls and ceiling, the general structure and look wasn't all that unlike Alfea, as though they'd been built using the same design and had just been decorated differently. They started walking down the hallway and Bloom caught sight of a display outside a lecture hall that showed a fairy who'd been turned inside out. She gulped loudly.

"I have a feeling it's creepier than it looks," she said faintly.

The girls stared at the display in horror for a long moment until Tecna checked the blueprints she'd downloaded.

"Their room is on the second floor," she said, jolting the others from their revulsion and they moved on, happy to put the horrible sight behind them.

"Let's go," Bloom said and started climbing the nearest staircase.

They found the witches room without too much trouble after that and fortunately for them it was empty when they got there. Unfortunately the witches might not have been there but they'd left behind one hell of a smell.

Musa coughed and covered her nose. "This place reeks like an ogre after a ten mile run," she complained.

"Let's get moving then," Flora said. "Stella's ring could be anywhere around here. What was that spell we learned about finding stuff fast?"

Tecna cleared her throat and raised her hand. " _Lead us to what is lost, find it at any cost."_ Her hands glowed green faintly before fading to their usual colour.

While they waited for the spell to work they snooped around a bit.

Tecna found a crudely made doll that had been punctured with several needles. "Look, they're into voodoo. I wonder who this poor girl is…"

On the other side of the room Musa was twirling a long gray stick that resembled a baton. "Think this is for cheerleading?" she snickered. The baton suddenly grew spikes and Musa tossed it away from her.

Laughing, Flora turned to Tecna. "I wouldn't play with that doll, if I were you."

"You're right," Tecna said and making a face she put the doll back where she'd found it. "Voodoo is so junior high anyway. Spell work yet?" she asked, suddenly eager to get out of there.

"Not yet," Stella said. She wasn't discouraged and kept snooping, opening various jar and wrinkling her nose at the contents of each one. "Lost and found spells take a while."

"I think it's working," Bloom said a minute later as she felt an unseeable force start to pull her to one part of the room. The others follow and suddenly Stella gasped falling to her knees beside a pile of dirt, seeing the glimmer of her ring piled in there.

"Stupid witches," Stella growled, plucking her ring from the grit and polishing it with her skirt. "Why would they keep my beautiful ring here?!" Satisfied with it's state she slipped into on her finger crooning affectionately, "Come to mummy." She stood again and admired the sight of it on her finger once more. "Oh, my 6.1 karats of pure magic."

"Mission accomplished," Musa said.

"So, let's get out of here," Tecna said and lead the group out of the dorm room.

"Hold up," Bloom said when Tecna made to walk back down the stairs. She bit her lip. "How long have we been gone?"

Tecna checked her watch. "We left Alfea approximately 52.75 minutes ago."

"So we have plenty of time to get back before everyone wakes up."

Tecna's brow furrowed. "Potentially; we have several hours before school starts. But we opened the gateway to the school tunnel 7.75 minutes ago which means it will only remain open for another 7.25 minutes. Then we'll be trapped in Cloud Tower."

"What is it Bloom?" Flora asked.

"I just wanted to stop by their book chamber. It has the only other book that exists about the Great Dragon," Bloom said, sounding hopeful.

Tecna did some quick calculations. "If we hurry we could be there in 1.25 minutes and leaving 1.25 minutes to get back we would have 4.75 minutes to search for the book."

Bloom glanced around at her friends hopefully. "If anyone doesn't want to do it we won't and we'll just leave. But this could be our chance to find out what the witches know about the power of the Dragon's Flame."

The group were quiet and contemplative.

Tecna checked her watch. "If we're going to go, it needs to be now."

Stella sighed. "Let's do it."

Flora, Musa and Tecna all nodded their agreement and they took off as quickly and quietly as they could. They made it to the book chamber with a few seconds to spare and immediately fanned out to look for the book.

"Do you know what the book looks like?' Flora called, squinting to read the titles in the dark.

"I've found it. It looks just like the one in the restricted vault at Alfea." Bloom pulled it from it's place and placed it on the lectern. When she opened it however it emitted a blinding white light, forcing them all to look away. Unbeknownst to them, their presence in Cloud Tower was no longer undetected.

* * *

In her office, Professor Griffin's crystal ball lit up on her desk, alerting her to students out of bed after curfew. The milky surface of the ball shifted showing her the book chamber.

She leaned closer to get a better look. "Someone in the book chamber at this hour?" She tapped the glass with a long, spindly finger and the mist in the crystal ball parted showing her the fairies that had invaded her school. "Well, well, we have guests," she cackled. "How clumsy of me, I haven't shown them the proper Cloud Tower welcome."

* * *

Even after the light faded the book had remained stubbornly blank, much to Bloom's disappointment. Tecna on the other hand was antsy to get out of their and back to the tunnels.

"Since we can't read that book can we go?"

She was the only one apparently feeling that way because the others were lazily browsing the shelves.

"Chill," Musa commanded, running a finger along the shelves and disturbing the dust. "We still have a couple of minutes and I've heard they have a book about every fairy in the universe."

Bloom looked up from the book she was reluctantly returning to the shelf. "Really? Does that mean there could actually be books about every one of us somewhere in here!"

"We're leaving in a minute and a half so please don't get distracted," Tecna said coolly, eyes glued to her watch.

"I have no clue where my powers came from or even why I'm a magical being. My whole story could be in one of these books."

Tecna sighed. "Then look for it, you've got just over a minute."

Bloom hurried among the innumerable shelves trying to work out the system. "How are these books organised, alphabetically or by powers?" She passed another lectern only to find a large book with her name on the cover sitting on it. The other appeared around her.

"It's really big," Flora noted.

Before Bloom could open it however Tecna stopped her by placing her hand on the cover. "Wait," she said, sounding odd.

"What is it?" Bloom asked looking between her friend and the book.

"This is too much of a coincidence. Why would it be sitting here, waiting for you?"

Bloom frowned.

"The witches could've been looking her up. They have a vendetta against us, it'd make sense that they'd read up on us, right?"

"Even if that's true do you really want to read it? It might contain your future and reading it might not be a good idea. Either way there is a significant risk factor involved. Should I calculate the exact number for you?"

"No," Bloom said, eyes staring hungrily at the book. "This book could have the answers to everything I've been wondering about since I got to Alfea. I just want to find about my powers, nothing else."

Tecna shrugged and removed her hands but Musa frowned. "I don't know, B. This does seem kind of whack, maybe you shouldn't."

Bloom didn't answer and reached for the book but out of nowhere vines sprung from the podium wrapping around her arm. She tried to pull herself free but the vines held fast. Acting instinctively Flora held out a hand and forced the vines away.

"What the hell was-" Bloom started to ask but a disembodied voice interrupted her.

"You asked for it, pixies! You dare break into Cloud Tower and now I dare you to try and break back out!" With those chilling words the voice began to laugh, long peeling cackles that had the girls backing away from the book even faster.

They all turned to each other in confusion but it was Tecna who found the answer. Having scanned the voice she did a quick realm wide web search to identify the voice. When she paled considerably, they all knew it wasn't good.

"That was Gwendolyn Griffin." When the confusion remained on her friend's faces Tecna added in a hushed voice with a furtive look around, "The current Headmistress of Cloud Tower."

All at once they understood her paranoia; it was likely they were being watched and even listened to in that very moment.

"Come on," Musa muttered, grabbing Bloom and hauling her along. "We're bailing. This place is whack." The others didn't need any more encouragement and hurried after them.

They made a mad dash for the door but just as they reached it and Tecna grabbed for the handle it disappeared with a whoosh leaving only a solid wall behind.

"What?" Tecna gasped, feeling at the wall but other than a warm feeling to it and the slight remaining smell of burnt sugar, it was like there'd never been a door there at all. "The wall is hot, someone must've used a dark spell to make the door disappear.

"Then maybe we can make a new one, what do you guys think?"

Tecna stepped back and carefully aimed her hands. "A shot of digital power should do the trick." She shot the energy but all that happened was the wall started to smoke slightly.

"It look worse," Musa said. "What do we do?"

"Power convergence?" Stella suggested.

"It's as good an idea as any," Bloom said with a shrug. "Let's try it." She transformed into her Winx form for maximum power. Following her lead the others did the same and together they all aimed for the wall, concentrated their winx and blasted their way through. The hole in the wall wasn't a door per se but if it got them out of the book chamber none of them were going to complain.

They ran through the still smoking hole and down the hall it spat them out onto but within a few minutes they were already running into trouble.

"Is this the right way?" Bloom panted.

But Tecna looked completely lost. "I think it's just an illusion tunnel."

She didn't say the word but they all knew they were lost.

"How can this happen? I thought you memorised the map?" Flora asked, not to accuse but out of fear.

"I did," Tecna said helplessly, looking around as they slowed to a walk. "But this isn't on the map."

"What?" Stella panted. "Like, someone is messing with the space?"

"Exactly, altering both perception and reality."

All of a sudden being lost was no longer their primary concern as odd noises started to echo about in the hallway.

"What is that?"

They all turned in the direction of the noises. Tecna took a step closer. "I don't…"

The noises got louder and then in the distance they saw a horde of strange beetle-like creatures coming for them.

"Red catapose," Musa identified with a gasp. "We had some of those in my realm once."

"Are they bad?" Bloom asked, watching them approach warily.

Musa grimaced. "They got into my friend's castle and I never saw her again."

The giant beetles slowly closed in around them, their chattering creating a nerve-wracking soundtrack to the scene.

"One bite and we're done for."

"I'd step on them but not in these boots," Stella joked. "What we need is a fire shield. Bloom?"

"I'm with you, Stell."

The pair sunk to their knees, back to back and lifted their hands, as one using their magic to create a shield that covered the group. They watched as the cataposes started to burn the second they tried to pass the shield.

"Snap," Stella said with a grin. "I knew this was going to work. They're getting fried."

It wasn't working that well however; every time a catapose tried to breach the shield they felt the strain pass through their arms and all too soon Bloom and Stella felt themselves start to tremble with the effort. Then the cataposes started to regenerate and they knew even if the other girls started to lend their winx they wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer.

"These bugs are fireproof?" Stella asked in disbelief.

"It's like the fire made them stronger," Bloom grunted. "Damn, they're getting through the barrier."

Tecna, Musa and Flora started zapping the few that got through the shield.

"I know what we can do," Flora said and with a little giggle she zoomed upwards, through the shield to hover in the air. Stella and Bloom waited for the others to follow suit to drop their shield as one and fly up to join them.

"Got any bug spray," Stella said and Bloom seriously considered having a talk with her friend about when it was appropriate to make jokes.

Flora laughed anyway. "No need for that. In my realm when we have a bug problem we just use their natural enemy." She blew a gentle breath which took shape and formed a massive anteater looking creature. "Erapnus sparthus sirisus," she said proudly, watching as her creation sucked up all the beetles.

Stella watched on in mild horror and interest. "That is one of the grossest and coolest things I've ever seen."

"Using natural means to fight pests is way effective," Flora lectured, sounding eerily like Professor Palladium. "It's not toxic like bug spray, it's safer than fire and it's all environmentally sound."

As the last beetle was sucked up, Flora's anteater disappeared and they could finally touch back down on the ground.

"Something tells me we're not out of the woods yet," Bloom said, feeling uneasy and looking up and down the deserted hallway.

Tecna hummed an agreement but Stella shook her head in disagreement. "Hey, let's not sell ourselves short. We simply dealt with the problem efficiently."

"So why are they turning to mud then?" Bloom wanted to know, watching as the slime left over from the cataposes began to collect.

"Note to self: book a facial mud treatment," Stella muttered to herself apparently unconcerned about the steadily growing mud piles.

Musa crouched down to look closer at the slime before jolting back with a realisation. "Yo, that's not mud, it's slime. And, they're about to give you a facial."

The mud continued to grow, combining together to become a dripping monster with a gruesome face.

"Run!" Musa yelled and the five girls took off down the hallway, not caring where they went as long as it was away from that thing. The creature gave chase, moving along with horrible sucking noises that seemed to echo around the endless corridor.

Tecna took a chance, fleeting look behind her only to find the creature steadily gaining on them and launched herself into the air. "Come on. We need to fly, it's the only way we'll lose it." The other followed suit and soon enough they were putting some distance between themselves and it.

"I heard that if one of those things slimes you, you can't get the smell off for a week. Even if you use magical shampoo."

Stella gave a little shriek at the very thought and zoomed ahead and even Bloom had to admit her stomach clenched slightly at the thought; she could smell the creatures stench from a distance, she didn't know how she'd stomach smelling that up close and personal for a full week.

Their head start didn't give them much help however when they ran into a dead end and they were forced to skid to a halt. They turned slowly and watched as the monster came barrelling towards them.

"I can't get slimed," Stella gritted out. "This outfit is couture."

"We have no choice but to take him on so I suggest you cease your whining and get ready," Tecna said coolly, raising her hands and drawing her energy for an attack. The others did the same. "Wait until it get's close then Bloom you give the signal and we'll strike."

The others nodded their confirmation and braced themselves. It was more than slightly terrifying to just hover there and do nothing as the creature got closer and closer. Bloom, as instructed waited until the last moment to call out.

"Now!" she yelled and five different coloured energy blasts flew at the monster. It gave an earth-shaking howl and began to shake. "It's going to blow," she warned.

"Yo, put the shield up," Musa said, nudging Tecna and her friend quickly whipped up her green shield to cover them just as the monster exploded in a mixture of fire and goo.

Once it was all the clear, they cautiously peeked out from behind the shield to survey the results. And it wasn't pretty; scorch marks were burnt into the floor, ceiling and walls and goo was splattered absolutely everywhere.

Flora seemed to go green at the sight. "Double gross," she said.

Tecna surveyed her splattered shield in mild disgust and gave it a little shake in an attempt to rid it of the foreign material. Once the worst of it was off, she tucked it away and turned to take in their situation. In the heat of the chase and in the darkness of the corridor they hadn't noticed the door at the dead end. But now it seemed like their only way out.

"Locked," Stella said grimly, when Bloom reached for the handle. "Already tried it."

Bloom surveyed it with narrow eyes before giving a little shrug, stepping back and giving it a swift and powerful kick, knocking it in and thanking Lysippe's leg building exercises as she did. The others followed her in, impressed.

"Nice earth powers," Stella grinned, bumping hips with Bloom as she passed.

"According to my map this is supposed to be the grand ballroom."

Stella looked unimpressed by the the dim and cluttered room. There were haphazardly stacks of furniture piled high and a layer of dust coating everything. "If this is supposed to be the grand ballroom I'm leaving them my interior designer's number. Wallpaper _might_ do the trick and open up the space," she said, sounding doubtful as she looked around the room.

"Clearly, my map is useless," Tecna said sadly. "If I could only get online."

"Maybe we should stop for a moment," Bloom said. "And decide how we're going to get out of here. I'm assuming that the entrance to the tunnel's closed by now?"

Though it wasn't necessary, Tecna checked her watch before nodding.

"And is there no way to open it again?" Flora asked.

Tecna pulled a face. "Technically, I could get it open. There were no protective enchantments on Alfea's end and there mightn't be any on this end, or there could be minimal enchantments or there could be top level security that'll take us hours to crack. There's no way to know before we get here, which is why I wanted to get back before the gate closed."

"Ok, let's leave that for a second," Bloom said. "What about alternatives?"

Tecna shrugged. "If we get out of here we could always walk through the forest. If we move fast and fly as much as possible we should get back with plenty time to spare. We'd have trouble getting in through the curfew barrier but personally I'd rather wait the night out in the forest than here."

"Ok so what do you guys think we should do? Go back to the tunnel entrance and risk getting caught while we try to open it or just get out of here and walk, and wait the night out in the forest?"

The group was quiet as they thought about Bloom's question, neither option all that appealing. Finally Musa came up with a suggestion. "Check this: we go to the tunnel and try to open it, spending maybe max ten minutes trying. If the enchantments are too strong, we bail, suck it up, and walk." When everyone agreed, she nodded decisively. "Let's get moving then because this place is creeping me the- what was that?"

A quiet growling was coming from somewhere in the middle of the piles which was quickly followed by the quiet tap of several approaching insect feet. They turned around again and again trying to identify the source of the noise when finally a large bug emerged from between two piles. Musa flew up into that air at the sight on instinct.

"That's a puncture beetle," she said sounding more scared than her friends had ever seen her. "I _hate_ those things."

Stella edged in front of her protectively, already wielding her sceptre. "Don't worry, girl. I've got your back. _Sun burst!"_

Bright light poured from the head of her sceptre and absolutely decimated the beetle, leaving only a slightly smouldering black mark behind and little fires all over the ball room that were steadily filling the room with smoke.

"Stella," Flora sighed, looking at all the destruction left over. "I could have created a beetle eater. Look at all the fire."

Stella shrugged, apparently unconcerned. "I always say ' _when it comes to bugs, you never have enough fire'._ " The steadily growing fires had her changing her tune pretty quickly as the roaring flames forced her back into her friends. "Maybe not."

"Nice job," Musa quipped sarcastically, composure back now that the beetle was long gone.

"We need to get out of here," Bloom yelled but when they turned to run for the other side of the room they found that while they'd been preoccupied the fire had moved, trapping them in a circle of flames.

Flora coughed deeply, the smoke in the air making it hard to breathe. "Does anyone know any good fire spells?" Flora asked as they were slowly pushed together by the crackling fire.

But they all shook their heads helplessly. "This fire's too big," Tecna said, fear creeping into her usually collected voice. "Any spell we know won't work."

"So what are we going to do?"

No one had the answer to Stella's question and Bloom felt the guilt consume her. Even if she hadn't directly started the fire she felt responsible for trapping them here. _She_ after all had been the one who'd wanted to stay longer to check out the book chamber, who'd suggested they stop in the ballroom. She wiped a hand over her face and tried to think of a way, any way to get her friends out of the mess she'd created.

Then it was like a voice had whispered right into her ear. " _Bloom,"_ it whispered. " _Listen to me Bloom. I can save you."_ Bloom had no idea if she was going crazy or if it was something magical she hadn't come across yet but the fire was starting to lick at their boots and she and her friends were fast running out of options. So she listened to the voice. " _You have to trust me. You have to follow my voice. You know my voice. Think back, way back. Remember? I used to watch over you."_

Bloom didn't recognise the voice and she was too distracted by the sound of her friend's distressed cries to concentrate on thinking back. Still for whatever reason she trusted the voice.

" _This way, Bloom, follow me."_

Unconsciously, Bloom stepped forward toward the voice, mindless of the shouts of her friends. She was so focussed on following the voice that she didn't even notice the flames she was walking right into. Hands clutched at her wrists and shoulders but she shook free.

" _Follow my voice,"_ the spirit called sweetly. " _Trust me, Bloom."_

The fire parted around her, allowing her to find a round metal door set into the wall. She blinked and came back to herself, realising with a mild jolt of fear that the fire was still raging around her. She touched the metal, cool even after the fire and the door split to reveal a tunnel. Distantly, she heard her friend's exclaims of surprise and relief.

" _Go, quickly,"_ the voice urged, sounding strained. " _Use the portal. Hurry,"_ the voice pressed when Bloom hesitated. " _Go now, Bloom. I can't hold the fire back much longer."_

Out of her daze completely, Bloom dove forward through the opening, the tunnel taking her far away from the fire and that mysterious voice. She slid down the chute and landed in an uncomfortable sprawl at the bottom on the uncomfortable rocky floor that she recognised of the tunnel that connected them to Alfea. Before she had a chance to roll out of the way Tecna was landing on top of her, her scream only just warning Bloom to brace for impact. The other three followed after and soon Bloom was buried underneath them all. They were quiet for a long moment, only their panting and occasional cough to break the silence.

"Oww," Bloom finally managed and her friends scrambled to climb off her.

"So what happened to you back there?" Tecna asked as they hauled her upright.

Bloom shook her head and brushed off the gravel from her skin and clothes, healing the cuts, bruises and minor burns she'd sustained since entering Cloud Tower. The others followed suit as they waited for her to collect her thoughts.

"I didn't know where I was going or what we were going to do, but all I knew was that I needed to get us out of there. And then I heard this voice and it kept telling me to follow it. And this might sound totally crazy but somehow I just _knew_ I could trust it."

Bloom missed the long glance her friend's shared but looked up when Stella spoke. "Well crazy got us out," she said with a shrug. So it looks like you were right to listen to it."

"That's called intuitive thinking," Tecna told Stella but Bloom barely heard her. She was too preoccupied going over everything the voice had said to her.

"So weird," she murmured.

Tecna regarded her friend carefully. "What's so weird, Bloom?" she asked gently.

The redhead started, unaware that she'd said the word out loud and shook her head in disbelief. "The voice kept telling me to remember. Like I should know it, like we'd met before."

"But…?" Musa asked.

"But I don't think I've ever heard that voice in Gardenia before."

"Maybe they just said that because they thought it was the only way to get you to trust them," Flora suggested.

"But I already trusted them, I was going to do whatever it wanted if it meant we got out of there." Bloom ran a hand through her grimy and tangled hair in frustration. "I just don't get it."

No one knew what to say, and they stood there for some time, exhaustion and the mysterious voice keeping them starting the exhausting trek back to Alfea. Eventually though Tecna got them moving knowing that the longer they took to get back the bigger the chance they got caught.

The tunnel seemed three times its original length on the way back and as it was it took the girls nearly double the time it took to get to Cloud Tower. Their winx had long since run out by the time they stepped into the slowly lightening Alfea halls and they were just about dragging their feet in exhaustion as they stumbled back to their dorm.

"I wish we could use magic to fly to our beds," Flora said dully.

"I'm so tired, that if I had any magic left I'd make the bed fly to me _and_ tuck me in," Bloom said, fighting off a yawn.

"I'm so tired, I could crash right here," Musa said.

They all laughed weakly but gasped when a voice cleared it's throat behind them. They spun around to find Griselda glaring at them.

"You're not as tired as you're going to be tomorrow. Ms Faragonda's office. Now."

They all trooped up to Faragonda's office where their headmistress was waiting - looking like it wasn't almost 4 o'clock in the morning - and they were forced to tell the truth about where they'd been.

Faragonda was as expected furious. "We warned you that Cloud Tower is completely and 100% off limits! And yet I got a letter from Professor Griffin only a few hours ago that you went there in the middle of the night, broke in, _and_ were responsible for thousands of dollar's worth of damage. That Alfea will now need to pay for."

"But Griffin set those monsters on us. We had every right to defend ourselves," Bloom broke in.

Faragonda's voice was thunderous when she replied, "And Professor Griffin had every right to defend her school against intruders. Your behaviour was completely unbelievable!"

"Unthinkable," Griselda put in, from her place standing beside Faragonda.

"Unacceptable," Faragonda agreed. "Now," she barked, surveying her students angrily. "What have you got to say for yourselves?"

"We're really sorry," Bloom started.

"But they stole-"

"If I may headmistress, but I believe that in such an extreme violation any reason they could give, even theft of a royal heirloom, would be completely insufficient," Griselda said, interrupting Stella.

"I agree, Griselda," Faragonda said with a sigh.

"Furthermore, I believe we should bypass the usual punishment of detention for a first offense. It seems that a harsher punishment is required in this case."

Faragonda regarded her head of discipline over the top of her spectacles. "4D?" she asked quietly.

Griselda nodded firmly. "I believe so headmistress."

"What-" Musa tried to ask but the words died on her tongue.

Faragonda returned the nod. "Very well,"she said quietly and lifted her hands. Green light started to appear at her fingertips, hovered there for a second before drifting forward to encompass the five friends. Automatically they tried to step back but found themselves rooted to the spot. " _Powerus revokurus. Magicus Suspendus."_ There was a gentle pressure on their chests which lifted almost as soon as it began and a strange feeling as though something essential was missing from inside them.

Faragonda and Griselda surveyed them without pity as they staggered at the odd feeling.

"Your powers will be returned to you at the end of the week, your network privileges have been suspended, and you are still required to attend class. You may go," Faragonda added coolly after a moment.

The trip back to the dorm was absolutely silent as they were all in shock. When they pushed open the door they barely made it to the lounge room before they were collapsing, not out of exhaustion as they had expected on the way back but now at the empty feeling that was clawing away inside of them.

Bloom ended up on her side on the lounge for some time, hand pressed tight against her chest, where that horrible emptiness was most poignant. It was as if she'd been completely drained of magic and the loss felt as physical as if she'd been drained of blood. Even though she'd only had her powers a short time, she'd become so used to feeling the steady thrum of magic coursing through her. She couldn't imagine how much worse it was for the others who had had their powers their whole lives.

"Well, at least we don't have to go to class for a whole week," Stella said, trying to sound light and upbeat but no one missed the way her fingers trembled as she played with her ring.

"Faragonda said we still had to go," Bloom reminded her dully.

"We can't do any practice without our power," Flora realised mournfully. "We're going to be so behind."

Meanwhile Tecna was bemoaning the loss of their network privileges. "What am I supposed to do without the realm wide web?"

"I was almost finished with this off-the-hook spell to hit the perfect high note," Musa said. "Which was going to be so rad for my new demo."

But Bloom wasn't worried about any of that because a terrifying thought had just occurred to her. She sat up slowly, blood feeling cold in her veins. "You guys, this is bigger than any of that stuff. When the witches realise we took the ring, they'll come here to get us and we won't have our powers."

The absolute terror that suddenly shone on her friend's faces was the perfect reflection to how Bloom was feeling on the inside.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought in the reviews xx**


	8. Chapter 8

The week dragged on for the five friends, days fraught with tension as they waited for what seemed like an inevitable attack. With each passing day they breathed a sigh of relief but still they knew they wouldn't completely relax until their powers were restored on the following Tuesday afternoon.

On Friday, after they were finally released from their sixth period class, Metamorphosis - which happened to be mind-numbingly boring when one was only allowed to read from the textbook - they were called down to Griselda's office. Despite the destination, each of them were secretly glad to be out of the dorm room, in which they had been confined for the duration of their punishment. And with no power, and no networking privileges they were beginning to tire of not only the same sights, but also of each other. So they escaped to Griselda's office with only a little grumbling.

"Um, Ms Griselda?" Flora asked timidly, once they were lined up in front of her desk. "We were wondering if it might be possible to get our powers back earlier than Tuesday? Perhaps Sunday, so we can catch up on our school work…" she trailed off when Griselda's eyes flashed dangerously behind her glasses.

"Your little field trip to Cloud Tower was completely against the rules, not to mention dangerous. You're lucky we didn't turn you into jumping beans and sell you while the circus was in town. Rest assured you won't be getting your powers back a second before Tuesday.

"As it is, Ms Faragonda and myself have decided that losing your powers will not be the extent of your punishment. You are no longer confined to your dorm room. However," Griselda added sternly, when the girls looked too excited. "That is because you will spend the entire weekend cleaning the castle from top to bottom."

"The whole castle?" Tecna asked incredulously, thinking about the countless classrooms.

"No," Griselda said kindly. "Just the stairs, the corridors, the classrooms, the bathrooms, and both towers."

"Oh well, that's ok then," Stella muttered sarcastically. "I thought you said the _whole_ castle."

Bloom tried to bite her lip in time to stop the sudden laughter she could feel bubbling up but it emerged regardless and she had to quickly clap a hand to her mouth to smother it. Griselda, however, didn't comment, and simply clapped her hands together twice, cleaning supplies appearing before her. She handed Stella a broom.

"Here you are, Princess Stella. Your new best friend."

Stella held the broom at arms length as though it had personally offended her and looked at it with revulsion. At least until Tecna plucked it from her grasp so she could study it with acute interest.

"What a curious looking remnant of primitive technology," she murmured, turning it over and over in her hands. "Perhaps there's an online manual I could download-"

"Not with your network privileges suspended, Miss Tecna," Griselda reminded her sternly. "Besides you won't need a manual."

Tecna stared at her with the same amount of horror as Stella had looked at the broom with. "No manual?"

The girls smiled at their friends reaction and struggled to contain their laughter.

"Don't worry, Tecna," Musa soothed. "It's not that complicated."

"Yeah," Flora added. "The only manual we'll be using is _manual labour."_

Tecna remained perplexed. "Exactly. If we had a manual for the labour we'd be much more efficient and-"

None of the girls were able to hold back their laughter that time, and snickered into their hands and shoulders as Griselda glared at them.

Tecna frowned and said, "What's so funny? I wasn't joking," which of course only made them laugh harder.

"Enough!" Griselda snapped, silencing the girls immediately, apart from the occasional chuckle. "You can begin straight away and make sure to leave no paperweight undusted. I'll conduct inspections on Sunday afternoon and the castle had better be to my expectations; and my expectations are high, so I suggest you get to work."

Whatever excitement they'd felt about being freed from the dorm had well and truly worn off as they left Griselda's office, laden down with their cleaning supplies and headed for the ground floor.

"So, how should we do this?" Bloom asked as they walked.

"It makes the most sense to start on the ground floor and work our way up," Tecna said thoughtfully.

"And maybe we should consider splitting up," Flora said thoughtfully. "For the ground floor especially. A group of two could do all the hallways, while the group of three did all the lecture halls and classrooms."

Tecna did a quick calculation and nodded proudly. "That would allow for maximum productivity. Nicely done, Flora."

"Thanks, Tec. How about this, me and Tecna will tackle the hallways, while you other three do all the classrooms on this floor. Whichever group finishes first will go help the others. Then we'll all do the bathrooms together. Sound fair?"

No one had any objections to the plan so they divided the supplies up between them and headed off to their respective tasks. The trio had their work cut out for them with the large, cavernous lecture halls, some of them big enough to seat the entire school. Luckily there were only three of them, but along with them there were numerous ordinary classroom, the physical defense training room at one end of the school and the large portions laboratory at the other end. With so much work ahead of them, they got to work quickly.

As the afternoon wore on however, it became clear that one member of their little trio wasn't pulling their weight. While Musa and Bloom toiled over the floors, numerous seats, and windows, Stella would more often than not find a perch on the teacher's desk where she'd spend the hour checking her nails before helping them move to the next one; if they were lucky she would wipe over the desk before she left. The other two had tried, halfheartedly to get her to help but quickly realised that it was a waste of time and breath that was better spent on cleaning.

"Last one," Bloom finally sighed as they entered the third and final hall.

Musa wiped her brow and started to haul the vacuum up the tiered seating so she could clean the carpet. "Don't forget all the other classrooms after this," she huffed.

"And the potions lab, and training classroom," Bloom agreed. She sighed sharply in annoyance and picked up the window cleaner and a cloth and headed for the windows.

"We've be going a lot quicker if a certain someone decided to help us," Musa yelled over the roar of the vacuum and sent a pointed look at Stella.

Stella paused in filing her nails - and Bloom was beginning to wonder how she hadn't filed them down to stubs yet - and looked up at them innocently through her lashes. "Moi?"

Musa practically growled as she turned off the vacuum and stomped down the steps. "Come on, Stel, grab a brush."

Stella wrinkled her nose delicately. "I could break a nail. Or worse get a blister."

"Wear gloves!" Musa's patience had obviously run out as she yelled the words at her friend.

But Stella seemed barely perturbed by Musa's anger. "Gloves with a tank top?" she asked, looking down at her outfit. "I don't think so."

Sensing Musa was at the end of her rope, Bloom took over. "That's a really good point. I hadn't even thought of that," she said calmly and started to walk over to them. Musa stared at her, looking betrayed. Bloom waved her off and started to refill a nearby bucket, adding in a healthy dose of soap.

"Thank you, Bloom," Stella said primly. "At least someone understands that it is not in my nature to get dirty." She was completely oblivious to her redhead friend who was sneaking up behind her, bucket in hand.

Musa, trying not to give it away, continued angrily, "You know you're not the only royalty here."

"Maybe, but on Solaria, princesses and suds don't mix-" her words gave way to a shrill scream as she was doused with cold, sudsy water, completely soaking her.

"What were you saying, Stel," Bloom said innocently. "I missed that last bit."

Musa, meanwhile was almost on the floor, she was laughing so hard, clutching the desk to keep her upright while tears streamed down her face.

"Oh, don't worry," Bloom told her. "I've got some for you too."

Musa tried to stutter out a protest but didn't get far before the remnants of the bucket were being tossed on her.

The three girls stood there panting for a moment, eyeing each other warily. Two of the three were dripping wet while the third still held the bucket responsible. They grinned wickedly at each other before bursting into action, grabbing buckets, and filling them with water to throw at the others.

* * *

Nearby, in the halls, Tecna and Flora were not having nearly as much fun as the other three. Despite the numerous hallways they'd already cleaned, there were still many more to go and Tecna was still having trouble grasping the proper use of the 'primitive technology' as she called it.

"It's really not that complicated, sweetie," Flora told her. "Here let me show you."

But Tecna held onto her broom tightly. "Thanks, but I'm sure I can figure out these strange objects by myself." She seized a nearby bucket and inspected it carefully.

Flora suppressed a smile. "That's called a bucket."

Tecna rapped her knuckles on the hard, metal exterior and made an approving noise before turning it over and placing it on her head. Flora thought it looked sort of like a medieval helmet.

"That's one use for it, I suppose. And the broom?"

Tecna turned over the broom in her hands and inspected each feature of it. "The handle is elongated," Tecna noted, running her fingers over the coarse bristles. "Which allows the user to reach high places."

"Like that picture up there?"

Flora pointed to a picture hung high on the wall and Tecna glanced up at it. "Exactly. Observe," she told Flora, as she reached up with the broom to dust the picture vigorously.

"Good job," Flora said in surprise as dust began to float down around them.

But she'd spoken too soon and Tecna's brushing knocked the picture from it's hanging and came crashing down to the floor, the glass shattering into hundreds of pieces.

"Good thing, I figured out how to use the bucket," Tecna said after a long moment.

Flora couldn't help but laugh despite the mess at their feet. "Yeah. Let's get this cleaned up, we still have a couple of hallways left to clean."

* * *

Back in the lecture hall, Musa, Stella, and Bloom were lazing about, basking in the sun streaming through the windows. After a long and fun water fight they'd been completely drenched not to mention worn out and had found a nice stretch of floor to dry off in before they got to work.

"I always forget you're a princess, Musa," Bloom said sleepily, arm thrown over her face.

"Yeah," Musa yawned back. "I mean, my dad was the eldest but he abdicated the throne, so it's not like I have any claim to rule or anything."

The group lapsed into silence, the sun warming their skin making them sleepy. But they were interrupted a few minutes later by the appearance of Tecna and Flora.

"What happened here," Tecna gasped, taking in their damp clothes and the water all over the floor.

"Did a tornado blow through here," Flora giggled, glancing around.

"Bloom taught us a great Earth sport called 'Water Fight' and I won by a landslide," Stella informed them.

While Bloom laughed quietly at the idea of calling water fights a sport, Musa shook her head vehemently. "Oh please, you did not win. _I did."_

"It's not funny," Flora said, trying to sound stern but the smile twitching at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.

"What if Griselda sees this?" Tecna asked, sounding worried.

"Indeed," a cold voice said from the doorway. " _What if?"_

"Busted," Musa groaned while the three of them scrambled to their feet.

Griselda crossed the room to them. "I want to let you know that Charmed Life is playing Magix Stadium tomorrow night. And all of Alfea and Red Fountain will be there. Do you know this group?"

Bloom was in the dark but the other four nodded with varying degrees of enthusiasm. They all straightened at the news, hoping desperately that if Griselda was coming to tell them, then that would mean...

"I've got all of their CD's," Stella said excitedly.

"Good thing. Because since you're not allowed to leave campus you won't be attending the show."

The group deflated, depressed at the thought of being stuck cleaning the school while all their classmates were at a concert.

"Perhaps if you ask nicely one of your classmates will pick you up a t-shirt," Griselda said snidely, and with a single cruel laugh she left them to their cleaning.

"This blows," Musa complained the second Griselda had left and stretched out on the teacher's desk. "I mean Charmed Life sucks but anything is better than cleaning duty."

"Hey," Stella squawked indignantly. "They're one of my favourites."

"Remind me to show you some stuff that's actually good," Musa sniped.

"We'd better get back to work," Flora said glumly, before an argument could break out. "We've got half an hour before dinner; me and Tecna will go start the classrooms while you three finish up here. Then if we eat fast and leave dinner early we should have around 3 hours to finish the classrooms and bathrooms before lights out."

Feeling bad that the other two had to help with their section, Musa, Stella, and Bloom all got to work on the daunting task without a complaint.

* * *

While the girls slaved away with their cleaning, the students at Cloud Tower enjoyed their dinner in the large and elaborately styled dining hall. It was made up of a large open space with many different levels furnished with tables and chairs. The Trix were sitting near the top, enjoying looking down on the rest of their peers while they ate and discussed the Ring of Solaria.

"I still can't believe those pixie losers had the nerve to sneak up onto our turf and take what was ours," Stormy exclaimed angrily, words echoing around the spacious room.

The Trix had come back from the forest that night to discover the Solarian Ring was missing from their dorm room and their suspicions had been confirmed the next day at assembly where they'd been informed that several fairies had broken into the school the night before. And even though they'd determined that the ring was not the source of the Dragon Fire they were still fuming that the fairies had dared to sneak into their room and taken what was theirs.

"And we just let them get away with it," Stormy fumed.

"A real witch wouldn't let such an offense go unpunished," Darcy drawled lazily, with a long look at Icy, as though she was daring her.

"And neither shall we, Darcy," Icy assured her. "Since the power of the Dragon's not in the Solaria ring, we need to find the true source of power, which is likely at Alfea. And then once we have it, we'll use it to destroy their _precious_ school."

"And if it's not there?" Darcy asked skeptically.

Icy shrugged. "We'll trash the place anyway. It's not like we need the power of the Dragon to wreak havoc."

Their conversation had attracted many turned heads, including a nearby freshman pair, Lucy and Mirta.

"Why do we hate the girls at Alfea so much?" Mirta asked from the next table over. "I mean that seems kind of old school."

Icy looked down her nose at Mirta, taking in her threadbare, pumpkin adorned t-shirt, the beads braided into her choppy red hair, and beat-up converses contemptuously.

"Who is this gangly freshman talking to me," Icy asked her friends coldly.

"I'm just saying," Mirta continued nervously. "I mean in some ways, I think Alfea's not that bad."

Her friend, Lucy, buried her face in her hands, just anticipating (and dreading) the Trix's reaction.

Stormy rolled her eyes. "You're just so alternative, aren't you? So cutting edge? Let's all think outside of Pandroa's Box and love each other? Not!" she mocked, making the tables around her burst into laughter. Mirta ducked her head in embarrassment as the laughter travelled around the hall until the entire school, bar Lucy, was laughing at her. "Who let this wicca wannabe in here anyway?" She gave a bark of derisive laughter.

"Aw, the poor thing looks embarrassed," Darcy crooned, gesturing to Mirta's red cheeks and teary eyes. She snapped her fingers and a dark, indigo blob appeared. "Let me help you save face." Before Mirta could react or even thinking about throwing up a protective enchantment, the blob flew at her on Darcy's command, adhering to her face and cutting off her oxygen supply.

She slipped out of her chair and fell to the floor, clawing at the blob which had hardened around her face. The laughter turned to a roar as they watched the flailing freshman. Lucy fell to her knees beside her and also tried pulling at the blob.

"It's not funny," she yelled, sounding scared. "She can't breathe."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "Stupid freshman. Everyone knows Goo Glob only lasts a minute." True to her words, it was only a few more seconds before the blob melted from Mirta's face and disappeared, leaving her red in the face and gasping for breath but unharmed.

The earsplitting laughter suddenly died down at the appearance of the headmistress. Professor Griffin wove through the tables, passing Lucy and Mirta still on the ground with nothing more than a sneer before reaching the edge of the dais.

"Attention witches," she called, not needing magic to be heard as her voice echoed around the large, and otherwise dead-silent hall. "There seems to have been an error and the Magix Stadium was double-booked tomorrow night with some wretched music concert. Both the heroes and the pixies are attending the concert and we have been forced to move our workshop 'Witching: Practicality vs. Theatricality' to the Magix Community Centre. Plan accordingly."

Without another word, Griffin turned on her heel and swept from the dining hall, grumbling the entire way about annoying heroes and irritating fairies.

Icy turned to Darcy and Stormy with a triumphant grin. "Tomorrow's our night then. We'll sneak out of the workshop and with their whole school empty, it'll be ours to destroy."

* * *

Getting up to clean would have been hard enough for the girls, given that it was a Saturday and they should have been enjoying the freedom, but with the entire school buzzing about the concert that night it was pure torture. They had to endure the excited conversations that carried throughout the hallways and mocked them as they worked. Still they pressed on, and by lunchtime they'd finished the remains of the first floor they hadn't gotten to the night before and all the second floor corridors. Fortunately, the entire second floor was made up of dorm rooms and teacher offices and residences, and no bathrooms so their workload was much lighter. All they had left to do in the afternoon was the astronomy tower, and Faylinn's classroom, the two tower classrooms, as well as the dining and entrance halls, each gargantuan tasks in their own rights.

They worked in the two towers all afternoon, hand polishing each of the hundreds of telescopes used for astronomy, mopping the floors, and cleaning the glass domes within an inch of their lives. The sun was beginning to edge towards the horizon by the time they were finished, watching as the students loaded onto buses, students and teachers alike chattering excitedly before pulling away. The silence descended around them as the five friends regarded each other.

"Well, this totally blows," Musa sighed and made for the stairs.

"Right," Bloom agreed, tucking her rag into the back pocket of her jeans and picked up her broom and bucket to follow her friend.

The group made their way down to the dining hall and took in it's grand size with loud groans. One wall was made of floor to ceiling windows and there were several long tables that stretched the entire length of the hall. The girls traded exhausted look and got to work.

"I've got an idea," Stella said mischievously some time later, pausing where she was scrubbing one of the tables and looking around at her friends.

"Uh oh," Flora said worriedly, but the blonde waved her away.

"No, this is a really good idea," Stella promised them and pointedly ignored Tecna's dubious look. "Let's call up the guys," she said, spreading her fingers in a 'ta-da' sort of way.

It didn't get the reception she was expecting.

Tecna rolled her eyes and got back to her mopping and while Bloom tilted her head thoughtfully like it was a semi-alright idea, Musa snorted like she was out of her mind.

"It's just," Flora began. "I'm not sure the guys are going to jump at the prospect of helping us clean."

"We could always say we needed some heroics and bravery," Bloom suggested slyly.

"Exactly," Stella said.

"But won't Griselda be angry?" Tecna wanted to know.

Bloom shook her head firmly. "She said 'no magic' but she never said we couldn't get some assistance from our favourite heroes."

"Yeah, and we know they can't resist a call from a bunch of damsels in distress," Stella added.

Apparently sold, Musa produced her phone from her pocket and tossed it to Stella. "Quick! Trap them before they leave for the show."

Invigorated by the idea of both getting help cleaning, as well as the thought of hanging out with the guys after they were finished, they sped through the rest of the enormous dining hall fairly quickly and moved to the entrance hall to half-heartedly start while they waited for the guys.

True to their heroic nature, however, the guys arrived promptly on their leva-bikes just as the sun was starting to set. Stella met them on the front steps, watching their approach approvingly.

"You guys didn't waste any time, did you?" she smiled, and headed over to hug them hello.

"So, uh, what exactly kind of heroics and bravery do you girls need?" Sky asked curiously as Stella lead them up the front steps.

Stella inclined her head towards the large, wooden double doors. "In here."

They followed her into the entrance hall and stopped dead at the sight that waited for them: Bloom was sprawled out on her stomach at the foot of the stairs, cheek pressed to the ground and scrubbing idly at a stubborn mark, Musa was almost asleep leaning against her mop, Flora was straddling the banister she was meant to be polishing as though she'd just slid down it, and Tecna was playing furiously with Musa's phone and attempting to use it to hack into the school's network.

Brandon took a step closer to Bloom, looking at her worriedly. "Is she ok?"

Stella waved an unconcerned hand. "She's fine. Aren't you, Bloom?"

"Just peachy," came Bloom's muffled reply.

Musa jerked upright at the sound of voice and blinked sleepily at them. "Finally, our backup has arrived," she said, with a smile.

"Backup on what exactly," Riven asked with a glare as though he was daring her to say exactly what he was thinking.

"Cleaning the hall of course," Musa said, eyes glinting dangerously, daring him right back to refuse. "It's not hard, I promise. And if the nine of us work together we'll be done in no time."

"I can't believe we skipped a concert for this," Riven groused. But the other guys didn't seem put out and were already stepping closer.

Bloom finally pulled herself to her feet, the other girls following suit, and dusted off her grimy t-shirt and jeans. "Don't worry, it'll be a blast," she assured them with a grin and swept up a nearby stack of mops. "Now take your weapons, guys." She tossed them out to the guys, Brandon, Sky, and Timmy all catching theirs while Riven just let his clatter to the floor. Bloom rolled her eyes but didn't push it. She figured if he wanted to be in a bad mood, there was nothing she could do about it.

Across the room, Flora nudged the volume dial of the old school CD player they'd been carting around with them all week, and the music obediently filled the cavernous space. "We'll work better with music on," Flora called over the music.

And they did. With the music and the company, spirits among the girls rose at once and they all - bar Riven - found themselves dancing around to the beat of the music while they worked. And with the combined efforts of the fairies and the specialists, sure enough they had the entire hall finished within a half hour, and soon after were heading up to the girls' dorm so the real party could get started. While the five girls rushed one after the other through the one shower in the dorm, they sent the boys down to collect some food and drinks.

"Hit the tables, DJ Musa," Bloom called with a laugh and Musa willing stepped up to the sound equipment she'd quickly rigged and after a quick rifle through her CD's she put some music on. Specialists and fairies alike flooded into the middle of the living room to dance.

"So that went well," Bloom remarked as she danced with Stella.

"Yeah," she grinned back. "And what's more, I got to see just how good Prince Sky is around the house," she continued, looking impressed.

"Wow," Bloom said incredulously, eyebrows raised. "I'm not touching _that_ with a ten-foot pole."

"Shut up," Stella groaned playfully. "It's good to know these things before you get in too deep with a guy whose useless."

Bloom was about to point out that they were _sixteen_ and didn't exactly have to worry about that yet when a devilish smile wormed its way onto Stella's face, making her go silent with worry.

"What exactly do you think you're doing dancing with me, anyway?" Stella said slyly, grabbing Bloom's to spin her and using the opportunity to glance over to where Flora, Brandon, Sky, and Musa were all dancing in a group. "I know you've had your eye on Mister Blonde, Blue, and Broody all night long.

Despite all protests to the contrary, Stella had been convinced that Bloom had a thing for Brandon and had forced her into the tightest pair of jeans she owned, that apparently did amazing things for her ass, and a low cut top of Stella's that showed enough cleavage that she would never have dared to wear it in front of her parents. And after Stella quickly putting some makeup on her even Tecna - who didn't seem to know the first thing about fashion - seemed impressed with the result.

Bloom scoffed. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Liar." Stella grinned dangerously. "But coyness will only get you so far. Don't be afraid to go get what you want; ask Brandon to dance with you."

And with that she turned with a flick of her long hair and left Bloom to go get a drink, leaving the redhead with no choice but to bite her lip nervously before joining the others. Thankfully, Flora seemed to have picked up on her feelings and grabbed her hands so they could dance together. Grateful, Bloom took the opportunity to just focus on her friend and having a good time for the moment rather than the implications of the gaze she could feel hot on the side of her face.

* * *

Outside on the main quad, the Trix appeared with a flash of Stormy's crimson lightning. They looked around sharply at the noise they could hear faintly above them, eyes immediately identifying the only lit up room, the open balcony doors allowing them to hear the music.

"I thought this place was supposed to be empty," Stormy grouched, frowning up at the room.

"Let's check it out," Darcy sighed and together they flew up to peer over the balcony and into the room beyond.

"Of course, it's _them,"_ Icy snapped, wondering why she was surprised that it was the same five fairies foiling their plans again. The teenagers inside were too distracted to notice that they were being watched and after a moment the three witches dropped back to the ground. "No matter," Icy said carelessly. "We'll just have to have some 'fun' with them too."

* * *

Inside, Timmy and Tecna were sitting on one of the lounges, two of the few not dancing and instead watching the others.

"Do you like to dance, Tecna?" Timmy asked, trying to make conversation after several long minutes of silence.

"Not especially," Tecna said simply. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Timmy's face fall slightly and internally she sighed. She'd never been especially well versed at face-to-face conversation; in her home realm most communication tended to be via screen. "I don't really know any dance steps," she continued.

"I'll tell you the steps I know," Timmy said, sounding a little hopeful now. "Step one: don't dance. Get it?" he asked with a chuckle and Tecna laughed despite the bad joke.

"Woah, Timmy," came Riven's voice from the shadows, where he was broodily leaning against the wall rather than join the festivities. "Keep falling like that and we'll have to call you Timber."

Timmy's cheeks immediately flushed scarlet and Tecna cut Riven a glare. "Don't listen to him, Timmy," she said reproachfully.

Before Riven could bite back a comment, Tecna was standing and grabbing Timmy's wrist, offering to show him the computer she was putting together from scratch. He watched them go with a scowl, only looking away from their retreating backs when Musa appeared, flushed and panting slightly in front of him.

"You don't like to dance?" she asked him, hips still moving slightly to the beat of the music.

"Not at lame parties," he retorted.

Musa's eyes narrowed dangerously but she didn't respond for a moment. The guy had been continually rude to her and her friends and usually Musa didn't put up with such nonsense but there was something about Riven that intrigued her. It was why she'd asked him to dance with her at the back-to-school dance, and it was why she was still talking to him now.

He acted like nothing could touch him and he didn't need anything or anyone. And yet he was still here, when he could have easily ridden back to Red Fountain when it had become clear they weren't really needed for heroics and bravery.

"You know what, Riven?" she finally said. "No one forced you here and no one's forcing you to stay." She glanced over her shoulder at her new friends; Tecna and Timmy pouring over some blueprints, Stella who was dancing with Sky with barely an inch of space between them, and Flora and Bloom laughing as they spun each other around. She smiled at them fondly before looking back at Riven's cold face. "But it's okay to need people. Every once in awhile, anyway."

Riven could only stare at her for a long moment and then she walked away before he could think up a response.

"Need some ice for those burns?" Brandon in gentle jest after a moment, having heard the entire exchange go down.

"Maybe just some air," Riven snapped and went to shove past him towards the balcony but Brandon stopped him with a hand to his shoulder.

Despite Riven's tendency to be prickly and insulting rather than approachable, Brandon could tell that his squad mate had been trying to get along with everybody since the debacle that was their last mission in the swamp and for that he was grateful.

"You know she's got a point, dude."

Riven's face didn't exactly soften, but it did stop looking so hard for a moment and he gave Brandon a slight smile. "Yeah, bro."

Brandon removed his hand, sensing that Riven's pleasantness wouldn't last much longer and let his squadmate - and tentative friend - continue outside while he headed back for the dance floor, intent on a certain redhead.

* * *

Down on the quad, the three witches ducked under the shadow of the lit balcony, just as Riven emerged out onto it.

"That was close," Icy breathed, glancing up at the stone overhead.

"Should we go?" Stormy murmured, not quite able to fully hide the note of nervousness in her voice.

"Because of those losers? I want the Dragon Fire power and I'll burn in the flames of Valhalla before I let a couple of freshman pixies get in my way," Icy hissed back.

"Me too," Darcy agreed. "Once we get it, we'll have so much power they'll be naming entire realms after the three of us."

"So let's conjure out crystals already," Stormy said eagerly. "They'll lead us to the power in no time."

"Hang on," Darcy said quickly, as the other two began rummaging in their cloaks for the crystals. They glanced at her and paused. "Are we really going to let them have their little party, like they're all that?" she said and pointed up at the balcony overhead where the music and laughter was still audible.

A wicked smile spread across Icy's face. "How about we summon a Cretan Minotaur from limbo? He can crash the party and get them well and truly distracted while we get the Dragon Flame."

"A positively wicked idea," Darcy complimented, eyes glinting in the dark. "But first, the Whisperian Crystals."

They each withdrew their crystals. They didn't look like much, like dainty perfume bottles, made of fragile glass in crimson, indigo, and cyan, and had been coated in a layer of dust after sitting unused in their rooms for years; but if Darcy's research was to be trusted, when put together to form a triangle they would be able to capture and contain even the strongest and oldest powers. The trio used their magic to direct the crystals into the air above their heads and together began to chant the ancient incantation:

" _Energies of the Chaos unite. Form the Whisperian Triangle. Let the many cease to be, and bear one power unto me."_

At their words, threads of light wove between the three crystals forming a triangle which would contain the Dragon Fire. Then, with the trio's magic still coursing into them, the three crystals folded together to form a bright light that supposedly would track the Dragon Flame and lead the witches straight to it.

"It's going straight through the wall," Stormy noticed as the ball of light took off.

"No problem," Icy said lazily as they flew after it. She snapped her fingers and a strange quiver of feeling passed through them and Icy lead them straight to the wall. Rather than crash into it however they passed through the solid stone easily and arrived in the entrance hall, where the ball of light was waiting for them.

"Now, to keep the stupid pixies out of the way," Darcy said. "Ready, girls?"

They joined hands and together began to chant in an ancient language. " _Ilavat on'num enivet, incapcer'num imya risovet. Alfea devastate. Ilaninye e'fvientor. Creature lost in the maze of mayhem, cross the void!"_

Dark magic swirled at their feet, creating a forboding black hole, out of which emerged a enormous and hideous four-armed minotaur; it had leathery blue skin, fists double the size of a human heads, and a coating of red hair all over its body including a long ponytail. The minotaur stood before the witches while they regarded it curiously.

"Pretty cute, don't you think?"

The minotaur gave a roar and stomped it's foot impatiently, evidently eager to start wreaking havoc and destruction.

"So cute," Stormy crooned.

"Go," Icy commanded. "You know what to do." And the minotaur must have because it took off in the direction of the girls' dorm without any further command.

* * *

Upstairs, the specialists were in the middle of recounting a particularly exciting training session they'd experienced the year before.

"... and at this point, there's still ten Frost Giants left," Timmy was saying.

"You guys must've been freaking out," Bloom said, eyes wide where she was enraptured by the story, curled up on the lounge next to Brandon. They'd started out a friendly distance apart, but as more people stopped dancing and joined them on the couch, they'd been squished together until Bloom was almost in his lap.

"You should've seen these things," Riven told them. "They've got biceps the size of oak trees."

Flora frowned. "Frost Giants are usually very friendly," she said and eyed the guys suspiciously as though they must had done something to disturb the gentle giants.

"Not these guys," Brandon promised, distracting Bloom as he shifted against her.

His arm, which had been thrown across the back of the lounge before they'd been shoved together was now hovering flustering close to her shoulders and she was overly aware of its presence. She felt her cheeks warm slightly and tried to refocus her attention on the conversation. Across the coffee table, Stella caught her eye and grinned suggestively, before returning to her quiet conversation with Sky, having been working her magic on the hero-in-training all night.

"Any soda's left?" Bloom heard Sky ask Stella and watched as her friend leaned over to pluck one from the tub, a nifty spell by Tecna keeping them cool and hand it over to him.

"Voila," she said, with a dazzling smile. The can seemed to tremble in Sky's hand and some of the liquid sloshed over the top. With a coy smile Stella asked, "Something making you nervous, Prince Sky?"

Bloom shook her head amazed. She'd always been comfortable around guys, having many male friends back on Earth but she'd never been _that_ confident.

But oddly, Sky was frowning. "No, I- what was that?"

Because it wasn't just the drink shaking anymore but the entire room. Flora squeaked in surprise and anchored herself to the arm of the lounge, Stella latched onto Sky's shoulder for balance, Riven and Musa were thrown against each other, and suddenly Bloom wasn't simply almost in Brandon's lap but actually in it, plastered against him.

"Umm hey," he said to her collarbone, where his face was pressed, sounding faintly amused.

"Yeah, hi." She laughed shakily, uncomfortably aware of his hands, one high on the back of her thigh and the other on her waist. Bloom breathed in an involuntary whiff of Brandon's hair, shivery lightly at the combination of soap, citrus, and the slight tang of metal. Finally, once the quake had finished her helped her off him and back onto the lounge beside him. "What the hell was that," she yelped as another shudder wracked through the room.

"An earthquake?" Musa asked, voice muffled by Riven's chest. The pair seemed to realise their situation at the same time and hastily pushed away from each other and stumbled over to chairs.

"Can't be an earthquake," Tecna said. "It's not coming from the ground.

"Maybe a dragone got loose?" Flora suggested.

This time Timmy shook his head. "The nearest stables are Red Fountain and ours are state of the art. No way one got out of there."

The quaking once again ceased and after a minute when they were sure it was over they all slowly filed out onto the balcony to check for both damages and the cause.

"I don't' see anything," Stella said with a shrug as she scanned the quad, where there seemed to be no visible damage. "It must've just been a little mini-quake or something."

"I told you," Tecna said, sounding impatient. "It couldn't have been a quake-"

The sudden of breaking glass coming from the other side of the school cut her off and they looked up to see a classroom table had been thrown through one of the windows and lay in pieces under the bright moonlight.

"Let's go," Sky commanded.

Riven gave a piercing whistle and obediently the bikes flew towards their owners. The guys hopped on and flew off to investigate, leaving the girls to run downstairs to meet them.

"See anything?" Musa called as they ran up.

"Half the wall is gone," Brandon told them and they all looked around to see that the damage was indeed bigger than the table seemed to warrant. Half of the wall had been almost immediately torn down and when they looked inside the rest of the classroom was similarly trashed.

"This damage had to have been done by some sort of creature," Timmy said, eyes raking over the crumbled stone.

Tecna hummed thoughtfully. "A very big creature," was all she would say as she fingered the deep gouges and claw marks left in the remaining wall.

"Really?" Riven snapped sarcastically. "Tell us something we don't already know.

Tecna blinked. "It's three metres tall and weighs close to a tonne. It's fur is bristly, not soft. It walks upright, has horns in addition to multiple clawed limbs and it gives off a foul, musky odour."

Her four friends smirked at the thoroughly astonished look on Riven's face.

"Oh snap," Musa giggled.

"Anything else to say, Riven?" Stella asked dangerously.

Another violent shake of the ground kept Riven from biting back a response, though he certainly looked like he wanted to.

"It came from that way," Brandon noted, nodding a the other side of the school.

Each of the guys reached for the weapons and clicked out their blades and started to hurry across the grounds, the girls keeping pace with them the entire way.

"We're coming with you," Bloom felt it necessary to point out, vocalising what the others were thinking.

Brandon, Sky, and Timmy each agreed after only a moment's hesitation; they had no reservations about the girls' ability to take care of themselves and were only mildly worried about how they would go without their magic. Riven, it seemed felt the opposite and shook his head vehemently.

"No way."

The girls scowled furiously.

"How many times do we have to prove ourselves to you," Musa just about yelled at the hero.

"Look, this isn't me just being an asshole, alright," Riven shot back. "You guys don't have your powers and we have no way to know if you'll be a liability or a help. You guys should just find somewhere to hide while we take care of this."

The five girls turned to the other guys expectantly, but now they were shifting uncomfortably and looking torn. On one hand the girls had more than proved their abilities and had even saved their asses a few times already. But they could also see Riven's point.

"We take a physical defence class," Flora said pointedly, when it became clear the guys weren't going to speak up for them.

"Which you've only been taking for a few weeks," Riven snapped. "Can any of you even throw a decent punch yet?"

Seething, the girls internally had to admit that Riven had a point; so far only Bloom had thrown a semi-decent punch and even then it hadn't been with enough force to do any real damage. But they weren't going to tell Riven that.

Sensing that they were just going to continue to argue, Sky jumped in. "We're not disputing that you guys are way powerful, it's just without your powers we'd be too caught up in making sure you guys didn't hurt."

But that wasn't the right thing to say either, as the furious look on Stella's face told him.

Riven rolled his eyes. "We're wasting time here." He took off without another word, violet sword flashing in the darkness as he ran.

The other guys looked after him worriedly, obviously itching to follow, before glancing back at the girl's imploringly. But they remained stubbornly angry.

"Whatever, go," Stella finally said. "We'll be waiting here like good little damsels in distress for you to come back."

The guy's looked relieved and didn't seem to notice the bite in her words as they ran after Riven.

Stella waited until they were out of earshot before turning to her friends. "I don't care what they say, I'm not just going to sit here while that thing destroys our school. You guys can either stay here like the guys suggested or you can come with me; full judgement if you don't," she added, only half joking.

"I'm coming," Bloom said firmly.

"Same," Tecna agreed.

"We're in," Musa said, and Flora nodded.

"Alright, let's go then," Stella said and lead them back into the school, opposite to the way the guys had gone. "This might be the longer way but hopefully we'll come up behind the thing while the guys are distracting it."

"Sounds like a plan," Bloom agreed, and the continued running on, oblivious to the intruders in their school.

* * *

The witches had been watching the ball of light like it held the secret to conquering the universe - and in a way it did - so they noticed straight away when all of a sudden it started to speed up.

"Does that mean we're getting closer?" Icy asked.

"Or whatever is holding the Dragon Fire is moving faster?" Darcy asked.

"Why would an object be moving?" Stormy asked, but none of them had an answer.

The ball suddenly came to halt in the middle of an ordinary corridor, further confusing the Trix. Icy cut Darcy a sharp glare, silently warning her that if her research proved to be wrong, she wouldn't hesitate to take her irritation out on the brunette. The ball hovered for a few moments as though recalibrating before abruptly heading back to the way they'd come; confused and lacking a better plan the others sighed and followed it.

* * *

The specialists ducked into the room they thought they'd heard the beast come from, confirmed when they saw the trashed state of the potions lab. Unfortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, the monster was no longer in the room and the lab was eerily quiet.

"Give us some light, Timmy?" Sky requested, as they squinted and tried to see through the din.

"Coming right up," came Timmy's voice through the darkness. He fumbled in his pockets for a moment before extracting a torch and flicked it on, illuminating the lab.

"This thing is a wrecking machine," Brandon said, taking in the utterly decimated lab. Tables weren't just knocked over but completely smashed into pieces and when they walked in further glass crunched underfoot from broken jars, beakers, and tubes.

Riven nudged him and pointed at the large hole in the ceiling. "And it's got jump."

"Let's get moving."

If they'd been on a school-appointed mission they would've had all their gear including grappling hooks to help them get through the hole. As it was they were forced to backtrack and find the nearest set of stairs instead.

* * *

Elsewhere, the girls were still making their way across the school.

"It's pretty quiet," Flora said, looking around the dark school nervously. There had been no more thundering or quaking, or other noises of destruction since they'd separated from the guys and they were torn between relief and unease.

"Maybe it went away," Bloom said, not feeling very hopeful about the possibility.

"I don't think so," Flora replied unhappily. "I still feel something really unsettling."

"Could be all the sandwiches you scarfed down," Stella joked and Flora made an affronted sound.

"Shut up," Musa ordered suddenly, convinced she could hear something breathing further down the hall. "Did you hear that?"

But to the other's couldn't hear anything but themselves.

"We don't have sonar ears like you Musa," Tecna reminded her. "What did you hear?"

"I don't-" Musa cut herself off suddenly when she stepped forward, right into something soft and squishy, with bristly fur. "Yo," she groaned quietly. "I think I just bumped into our party crasher."

They all gasped when the thing's breathing suddenly got louder and their eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness until they could just make out a great, hulking mass in front of them. The sudden roar confirmed Musa's suspicions as well as showering them in saliva.

"Eugh, that's so disgusting," Stella just about shrieked, patting herself down. "You are so going to get it!"

But before she could take a step forward, Bloom wrapped a hand around her wrist and yanked her back. "Stella, no," she murmured, trying not to move or speak too loudly or do anything that would startle the beast any further. "We don't have our powers, remember?"

Stella gulped loudly and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible but the damage was done and the beast gave an angry snort.

"Run!" Tecna yelled, identifying the beast's agitation and they took off, stumbling along the dark corridor with the minotaur right on their tail. Unbeknownst to them however they also had the Trix behind them, following the Whisperian Crystals that kept leading them towards the girls.

They dashed up the stairs at the end of the corridor and sprinted up onto the second floor but Flora tripped on the last one, falling to her knees. Luckily Stella was right behind her and had her back on her feet again before she could blink. Together they ran after the others, lead by Tecna.

"This way," she ordered, leading them on and flipping on light switches as they went. It meant that the beast would be able to see them better but at least then they'd also be able to see where they were going.

Inevitably the creature caught up with them however and one stomp of his huge hoof was enough to make the corridor rattle and quake, sending them to their knees and the walls for support. While the girls were disorientated, the minotaur made it's move, charging forward to where Tecna and Bloom were huddled.

"Incoming," Musa yelled.

Bloom rolled out of the way, ignoring the debris from the quake that cut into her skin as she did and could only hope that Tecna had done the same. There was a great crash as the minotaur collided with something and a cloud of smoke billowed across the hallway, covering them and preventing them from seeing each other.

Finally the smoke cleared enough to see that the minotaur had tried to ram at Tecna but had gotten his horns stuck on either side of his head. He was growling furiously at her terrified form but with his horns stuck there was little he could do. Tecna slid out of the horn cage and stepped quickly out of the way while his many arms tried to push himself free.

The girls stood for a moment hoping to catch their breath and come up with some plan but the beast was quick to get itself free and they had to run again.

"We need to meet up with the guys," Bloom yelled and while she was right and the others agreed, with the beast so close on their tail there was little they could do other than run and hope they happened to run into them.

The minotaur seemed even angrier after getting stuck in the wall and he caught up to them much quicker. Musa who was at the back of the group was the one feeling the pressure the most. Flora just ahead of her noticed first.

"Musa, jump."

Musa didn't question it and just did as she was told, jumping to the wall and using it to flip herself backwards and over the minotaur's ahead, thankful of all those years she'd been obsessed with acrobatics.

"Now this is my kind of party," a voice said out of the darkness just as she landed. "Looks like we got here just in time." She turned to see the guys emerge from the shadows.

"Nice jump, Musa," Brandon smiled as he and the others followed Riven to attack the beast.

"Hey," Riven yelled at the minotaur's back. "You with the ponytail." The beast swung around and roared loudly at the teen but he stood his ground. "If you want a real challenge come over here." Before the minotaur had a chance, Riven charged at the beast, swinging his violet blade. But the minotaur was swifter than his size seemed to allow and easily dodged the blade before making an attack of his own. Riven jumped backwards trying to avoid the four fists that were flying at him. Fortunately the other guys were ready to step in.

"Need a hand there, bro?" Brandon asked, stepping up with his sword and shield.

Embarrassed that his attack had failed, Riven snapped, "Just worry about your prince, squire boy."

Brandon rolled his eyes but didn't rise to the bait, too used to ignoring Riven's comments, especially in the heat of battle when they all needed to concentrate.

"Don't think you're getting all the fun, Riven," Sky put in, appearing on his other side.

"Hey, I can handle this," he said and was too busy arguing with his friends to notice the fist coming his way. The force of the minotaur's swing was so great that it sent Riven flying right through a nearby window and into the classroom beyond.

"This bickering is getting ridiculous," Stella was saying on the other side of the minotaur, watching half-heartedly as the guys attacked. "If we were dating them we could pull the girlfriend card but we're not."

"It's just the whole macho man thing, _all the time_. If it was about anything else I wouldn't care so much but they're always arguing about who's better, who's stronger, blah, blah, blah," Bloom said with an eye roll. "Honestly sometimes I wish they'd just pull down their pants and measure," Bloom continued in a mutter.

"Bloom!" Stella gasped sounding scandalised but she was grinning. Tecna giggled into her hand, blushing furiously and Musa whooped. Only Flora looked confused.

"Measure what?" she asked, making Tecna laugh even harder.

"We'll explain later," Stella lied and turned back to the fight just in time to see Riven get thrown through the window.

* * *

In the classroom, the Trix had stumbled across Riven's frowning, unconscious form.

"Well, he's not the source of the Dragon Fire," Darcy said, sounding disappointed. Then her voice lightened. "But there's an awesome dark energy coming from him. Can we take him home? Please, Icy, please."

"Why do you have to fall for every guy with a frown on his face," Stormy whined.

"He's not a dog, Darcy," Icy said, ignoring Stormy completely. "But with his dark energy, we might have used for him in the future. Let's keep an eyes on him. For now though let's go get the Dragon Fire."

* * *

Out in the corridor, the guys were slowly getting defeated. Timmy had been forced to fight with his left hand after hurting his other, blood was slowly soaking into Brandon's blonde hair at the temple, Sky was moving with a bad limp and Riven still hadn't reemerged from the classroom.

"We've got to go something," Bloom decided, watching as they tried to pull together for a combined attack.

"They're getting beaten to a pulp out there," Flora agreed.

"But we don't have our powers," Tecna reminded them.

Stella bit her lip and craned her neck to see around the minotaur to the specialists. Then she realised something; they had come right back around to the centre of the school and if this was the corridor she thought it was it meant that the entrance hall was just down and off to the right a bit. She dashed off, found that she was right and came hurrying back, laden down with the cleaning supplies they'd left in the hall.

"Yoo hoo," she called to grab the girls' attentions. "Housekeeping."

They turned and caught on straight away. "Excellent idea," Bloom complemented, going to grab a bucket from her friend.

"Thanks, darling," Stella grinned.

Stella's idea had come at the perfect moment; the guys were struggling to get up off the floor and the minotaur looked a second away from finishing them off completely.

"Hey bull snot," Broom yelled, tapping on her bucket loudly.

The other's followed suit and soon enough the corridor was loud with the banging off metal and their insults. The minotaur stopped advancing on the guys and slowly turned it's angry eyes on them. The second it started moving towards them, the girls dropped their buckets as planned and ran ahead while the minotaur charged after them. On either side of the corridor, Bloom and Musa caught eyes as they ran.

"Ready?" Bloom called.

"Serve it up," Musa called back.

They both yanked out the bottles of soap they stashed in their pockets, uncapped them and turned them over, squeezing soap all over the floor. They emptied all the bottles they had left as they ran, drizzling them until the floor was well and truly coated. Then they stopped, split on either side of the hallway and waited for their plan to either work like a charm or their inevitable death if it failed.

The second the minotaur hit the soap they heard it. It let out a shrill screech as it tried to regain its traction but the momentum was too much and it flew forward to the end of the hallway and right over the banister overlooking the entrance hall.

The girls followed cautiously, glancing back at the mess of soap they'd left behind before reaching the banister that had been half taken down by the minotaur. Down in their once sparkling entrance hall the minotaur lay - dead or unconscious they didn't know - covered in suds and surrounded by the debris of the banister.

"Griselda is so going to kill us."

Once the girls made sure the guys weren't in any immediate danger they all limped down the stairs to check out the minotaur.

"Where'd this thing come from?" Flora asked, crouching to inspect it's prone body.

"The Creature Preserve?" Riven guessed.

"Except that the Creature Preserve doesn't have any minotaurs," Tecna said.

"Regardless, how did it get here?" Bloom asked.

They didn't have to think about it for very long; the minotaur was obviously the result of the Trix finally getting back at them for the Solarian Ring situation. They quickly the filled the guys in on their suspicions.

"They could still be here," Tecna said sounding worried. Bloom knew how she felt.

She glanced around at her friends and her heart sank; the guys were on their feet, but only barely and the girls didn't have their powers. They were not ready for another battle with the Trix.

"Let's go to Faragonda's office," she said suddenly, making an executive decision. There was an instant disagreement.

"We can't do that," Flora said looking appalled. "Not while she isn't there."

"It _is_ against the rules," Tecna pointed out.

"Why are we running from a fight, we should go find them and kick them out of here," Riven was saying furiously.

"Hey!" Bloom yelled getting their attention. "I know this isn't what you guys want to admit but we can't face another attack tonight."

"Speak for yourself-" Riven tried but Stella interrupted him with a snarled, "Shut up".

"As I was saying," Bloom said already glancing around in case the Trix were nearby. "The guys look like they're barely standing and we don't have our powers. I think we should go to Faragonda's office and try to make contact with her and the teachers. While we're doing that we can't keep an eye on the school with her all-seeing crystal ball. And if the Trix find us there at least we'll have a defensible position we can attack from."

The group reluctantly agreed to that and they trooped up to Faragonda's office to wait. While Tecna, Bloom and Musa searched for someway to contact Faragonda, Stella and Flora used the crystal ball to scan the multitude of hallways and classrooms of the castle, and the boys set up a few basic defences at the door.

"This won't do too much damage," Timmy said, finishing the last detail. "But every bit will help and it's the best we can do under the circumstances. Any luck?" he asked the girls, and headed over to the desk.

"We can't find them," Flora frowned.

"But there are like a bazillion places to check and we're not even halfway," Stella pointed out.

"How about you?" he asked Tecna.

"Nothing here that'll connect us to Faragonda." There were a few strange looking instruments that neither seen before nor knew how to work but there was nothing overtly obvious like a telephone. Their other plan, to phone one of the girls at the concert using their mobiles had to be tossed out when they all realised they'd left their phones in the dorm.

Across the room, Riven's head snapped up, he gestured for them all to be quiet and inclined his head towards the door. "I think they're coming now." He flipped off the light and hid behind the door as planned while everybody else got into their predetermined positions.

"I don't know about this," Flora whispered from her hiding place behind Faragonda's desk. She felt both nervous and vulnerable without her powers.

"It'll be the fine," Musa said reassuringly. "We'll wipe the floor with those witches."

* * *

Outside the office the Trix were watching the Whisperian Crystals with interest.

"They're responding wildly," Icy noted. "That means the Dragon Fire is in this room," she said, nodding at the closed door to Faragonda's office. They pushed their way in and took a look around the dark room, the moonlight streaming through the window the only light beside the crystals. "I don't see a thing that could hold the power. We'll just have to trash the place and do a thorough search because-"

"You're not trashing anything," Bloom said and stood from behind the desk. "Hit the light's Riven."

For once Riven did as told and flipped the switch with nothing more than a low laugh at the witches' surprise.

"You're kind of surrounded," Stella said smugly as the group circled them.

Their plan was to bluff and not let them know the girls didn't have their powers for as long as possible and then the guys would cover them in the inevitable attack.

"What are you doing here?" Icy snapped.

"No, what are _you_ doing here?" Bloom shot back.

"What are all of you doing here?" A third voice asked from the doorway. Both witches, fairies and specialists alike turned to stare in terror at the small, white-haired figure in the doorway.

Faragonda took control pretty quickly after that; she herded all the teenagers out of her office and onto the quad, sent the specialists to the infirmary for treatment from the school healer, and cast a containment spell on both the Trix and the stirring minotaur.

After treatment Faragonda sent the guys on their way, thanking them profusely for their services in taking down the minotaur.

"How's your head?" Bloom asked as Brandon mounted his leva-bike. She reached up absently to trace the steadily fading mark on his temple. His own hand also went to the mark and for a moment their hands touched, warmth igniting on Bloom's skin wherever it brushed Brandon's. She pulled her hand away with a light blush.

"All good," he said, rubbing lightly at the mark. "It'll take more than this to take me down."

She smiled. "Sorry the party kind of blew and you had to, you know, fight a minotaur."

Brandon shrugged. "There's never a dull moment with you, is there?" But despite the actual words Brandon said it like it was a good thing.

Nearby Stella was saying goodbye to Sky, who on impulse and before he could talk himself out of it leaned forward to kiss her goodbye on the cheek. Speechless for once, Stella could only smile and try not to swoon.

At his bike Timmy was fumbling as he said goodbye to Tecna. "So uh give me a ring sometime," he said. "If you, you know, want to talk more about binary transmitter couplings," he added quickly.

"Right," Tecna said, sounding a tad disappointed.

Riven was being his usual prickly self as he said goodbye to Musa and Flora. "Next time you have a party, try and make sure there's actually some fun involved."

Musa and Flora scoffed and turned on their heel. At the last minute, Musa paused and called over her shoulder, "And make sure you think about what I said."

The guys triple checked the bubble carrying the minotaur and the ropes securing it to their bikes before pulling away with a final wave. Faragonda had offered to teleport them and their bikes back to Red Fountain but they'd insisted they felt fine enough to ride after the healing potions they'd gotten.

Faragonda watched them go until they disappeared from sight before turning to Griselda.

"We must remember to send Headmaster Saladin a glowing letter of gratitude in the morning for the help his students gave us. It was so good of them to come when the girls told them there was a beast loose on campus."

If Faragonda knew the real reason the guys had been at Alfea she didn't let on but there was an odd knowing twinkle in her eyes. A twinkle that blinked and disappeared as she turned her attention on the Trix.

"As for you three witches to be, you took things too far this evening. I don't know what's going on between you and my girls but it ends tonight, do you hear me?"

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy smoldered with barely repressed fury at Faragonda's chastisement.

"I'm transporting you straight to Headmistress Griffin's office with an official letter of complaint. I trust she will discipline you accordingly and to be sure, I _will_ be following up. Have a lovely trip, ladies." She snapped her fingers and the Trix disappeared with a woosh of blue light.

Finally she and Griselda turned to the nervously waiting fairies.

"Now," Faragonda said and the girls winced as they waited for further punishment. "I've watched what happened on my crystal ball and I must say I was most impressed."

The girls blinked at each other in astonishment as they realised they weren't in trouble after all.

"Your actions were very brave and resourceful especially considering you didn't have your powers. Therefore Griselda and myself have decided that your punishment has lasted long enough and you'll get your powers back, tonight."

She snapped her fingers again and five glowing orbs appeared in her palm, hovering for a moment before zooming back into their respective owner's chest. Immediately that strange, off-kilter feeling that the had plagued the girls since they'd lost their powers disappeared and they felt whole once again.

"Now," Faragonda said, eyes warm. "Off to bed you go; I'm sure you're exhausted."

The girls thanked their headmistress and wandered off to bed, passing the teachers slowly repairing the school as they went. Faragonda and Griselda watched them go, smiling softly.

"I thought the Dragon Fire power was just a myth," Griselda said carefully after a moment.

Faragonda hummed thoughtfully. "As did I. But all great myths are entrenched in great truth."

"But I am assuming that you are not keeping the Dragon Flame, and I know it's not in the Solarian Ring…" Griselda trailed off hopefully, as though she hoped Faragonda would offer her own insights but Faragonda only hummed again and turned her eyes skyward. "That would mean that one of the fairies has to have it."

The unspoken question ' _But who has it?'_ hung in the air between them. Finally Faragonda looked to her colleague and trusted friend again.

"I have an idea," she admitted. They both did.

* * *

 **Wow it has been forever since I've posted. Sorry about that, I've been busy working on the magical reality chamber episode and of course Bloom and Sky's first date which for some reason took me forever to write but I'm really happy with. I can't wait to share that chapter with you guys. Anyway here's another chapter, hope you liked it and make sure to leave me a comment with your thoughts :)**


	9. Chapter 9

The weeks passed along with classes and other everyday drama (like the ongoing saga of whether Sky would ever actually call and ask Stella out on a date) and slowly the five friends found themselves thinking less and less about their feud with the witches and the mystery of the Dragon Flame. All was not forgotten and forgiven of course, but the mystery became less important to them as no more attacks were waged and exams quickly approached.

They got an unexpected reprieve - unexpected for Bloom at least - from exam prep and practice scenarios in the form of a dimension wide public holiday. And it came just in time for Bloom, who was quickly growing exhausted from the dreams that plagued her every night from the moment her head touched the pillow until her eyes opened the next morning. She was no stranger to strange dreams and nightmares, there had been a terrifying recurring nightmare as a child, and even after arriving at Alfea she'd had dreams of tormenting witches and trolls, but there was something about this one that felt different; something about it set her hair on end and exhausted her to the point where she was wary to go to sleep at all.

The night before the holiday was no exception.

She was standing at the bottom of a now familiar endless cavern, with inky black surrounding and pressing down on her until she felt tiny in the massive room. And as always, despite not being able to see anyone else in the darkness, she had the overwhelming feeling that she wasn't alone.

Then a vaguely familiar, female voice whispered to her out of the dark, the direction in which it came indistinguishable, as though the speaker was all around her, part of her.

"Bloom…"

She spun around, trying to simultaneously find the speaker in the dark room and remember where she'd heard the voice before. "Who said that!? Who's there?!"

"It's me, Bloom…" the voice whispered again. Bloom wished desperately that the person would stop using her name; it felt wrongly intimate when she barely recognised the voice. The feeling was only made worse by the woman's next word, "Don't you remember me? Don't you know my voice?"

Bloom cast her mind back desperately at that, trying to ascertain if the voice was one she recognised from back in Gardenia, or if it was one from her short time in the Magical Dimension. And then wondering how she could have been so stupid, she realised where she knew the voice. "You're the one who helped me escape from Cloud Tower, aren't you?"

But when the voice replied, she sounded the slightest bit disappointed. "Yes, Bloom… come back to me, Bloom."

"Who are you?!" Bloom yelled, spinning around again, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman.

"Find me." The voice wasn't even a whisper anymore, more a breath, and one that was fading fast.

"Look," the woman uged. "Look within."

"What does that mean?!"

Something touched the back of her hand and she spun around, gasping at the being that suddenly towered over her, the glow around her like a beacon of light in an otherwise dark room. The woman was beautiful, Bloom realised as she fell to the floor; she was wearing an elaborate mask and a long gown and looked as though she wouldn't be out of place at a fancy dress ball.

"You know the answer," the woman said, voice as gentle as her small smile. "You will find me, when you find yourself."

The glow that highlighted the woman grew brighter and Bloom was forced to throw an arm across her face to protect her eyes.

"Your destiny awaits you…"

All this talk about destiny and looking within was too much for Bloom when she was awake and coherent, let alone in the middle of the dream.

" _What do you mean!"_ She felt wrung out and exhausted as she buried her face in her knees. A gentle hand reached out and stroked her hair, making her flinch away.

"Prepare for the journey," the woman whispered. "And remember me!"

Bloom looked up sharply, ready to demand answers once again but realised that she'd jerked awake and was sitting up in bed, soft sunlight lighting the room through the sheer curtains.

Bloom pinched the bridge to ward of the oncoming headache she could feel forming there. "What am I supposed to remember?" she murmured to herself. "What journey?"

"The journey out of bed, perhaps?"

Bloom startled at Flora's soft voice, having thought her room-mate was still sleeping and glanced up to see Flora standing at the foot of her bed, already dressed for the day. Bloom glanced at the clock on her bedside table and found that it was much later than she'd thought. She would have to get up soon if she wanted to get something to eat before breakfast ended. Regardless, she thumped back against the pillows.

"You'd sleep through a solar storm, wouldn't you?" Flora laughed and Bloom heard the rustle as she moved across the room.

Bloom frowned up at the white ceiling. "Flora, was I talking in my sleep?"

Flora laughed again lightly. "You have no idea."

"I've been having the weirdest dreams lately."

Flora hummed thoughtfully but didn't offer any other response. "Well I'm all packed," she declared and stepped aside so Bloom could see the small suitcase sitting on her bed.

Bloom pulled herself up onto an elbow so she could see her friend better. "Where are you going?"

Flora turned to her with a bemused smile. "Home, of course, for the Day of the Rose. Maybe that's what you needed to remember."

Flora picked up her bag and headed out to the living room, a sleepy Bloom holding an equally sleepy Kiko, following. Stella and Musa were already out there, still looking bleary from sleep and talking quietly. Bloom joined them on the lounge and slipped under their blanket to ward off the morning chill. Through the open doorway she could see Tecna, also packing a small bag.

"I just don't understand," Stella was saying to Musa, who looked out of her element and shot Bloom a pleading look. "When they left after dealing with the minotaur he kissed my cheek _and_ asked whether he could ask me out sometime. And of course I told him to call me. But that was weeks ago and I've heard barely a word out of him since."

Bloom frowned. She'd been texting Brandon fairly regularly since that night - though she hadn't seen him in person, both of them busy with exam prep - and he hadn't mentioned why Sky might have been unable to call Stella.

"Maybe he's intimidated," Musa suggested with a shrug. "Besides you haven't called him either."

"Yeah, Stel," Bloom jumped in when it looked like Stella was going to argue. "You're a modern woman, call him up and ask him out."

Stella sighed and produced her phone. "Fine. But if this backfires, I'm blaming you two." She levelled Bloom and Musa hard looks, both of them raising their hands in surrender before typing something into her phone. "There, I asked him if he's free over the next few days."

She still looked worried so Bloom decided to take her mind off it. "What's the deal with this holiday?" she asked. "Are there no classes?"

"No classes," Tecna confirmed briskly, appearing at the doorway.

"It's the one holiday that every realm celebrates together and it's in commemoration of parents everywhere. So no classes and most people go home," Tecna continued.

"Sounds like Mother's and Father's Day put together," Bloom said, fighting off another yawn.

"Are you going to go home?" Flora asked.

"I haven't made any plans to…" Bloom said with a shrug. "Besides, my parents will probably be working anyway."

"Perfect," Stella said. "You can keep me and Musa company then."

Before Bloom could ask why Stella and Musa weren't going home, Tecna and Flora realised that they were going to miss the bus if they didn't get going soon. The other three dressed quickly and saw them down to the buses absolutely stuffed with teachers and students all waiting to be taken to Transportus Station in Magix City. They waved to the bus until it was out of sight then headed up to the dining hall for a late breakfast.

It was strange walking through the hallways of Alfea without having to dodge and weave through the multitude of fairies usually filling the corridors. It was even odder to see the dining hall completely empty except for several seniors who'd stayed to study for the upcoming midterms. On the teacher's table only Griselda and Whizgiz remained - even Faragonda was missing - and Professor Whizgiz looked to be on his way out.

"This sucks," Stella said quietly, looking around at the deserted room. The silence in the dining hall seemed even louder than the usual chatter and scrape of cutlery. She took a long drink of her coffee.

"Goodbye girls," Whizgiz said cheerily as he passed them on their way out.

"Going home?" Musa asked.

"Of course. Going to see dear Mother in the nursing home," he said with a smile. He fingered the brooch he usually wore and it transformed at once into a perfect rose with a shower of gold sparks. "A present," he told them. "Have a good day off," he said with a wave and left the dining hall.

"So, why are you sticking around, B," Stella asked, playing idly with the mug holding her coffee. "I mean you could've headed home for a couple of hours."

Bloom shrugged. "It's not a holiday on earth, so I figured there's no point going home just to hang around alone and see them for a few hours tonight. I guess I'll just call them and maybe take a trip home when I can actually spend time with them." They were all quiet for a long moment until Bloom seemed to shake herself out of the memories of home. "Why are you guys staying here?"

Stella smiled weakly and all of a sudden she seemed especially tired. "I've not told anyone yet but, all's not well with the royal family. My mum and dad are getting a divorce." Bloom reached across the table and gripped Stella's hand. Stella smiled again and shrugged. "So now there are two palaces and only one child getting pulled between them, so it's… complicated, to say the least. But these things happen right?" She physically shook herself and turned to her friend. "What's your story, Musa?"

Musa heaved her own sigh, but there was no smile to accompany it. "I lost my mum when I was just a kid, so today's always been kind of bittersweet."

Bloom frowned and caught Stella's eye. "But your dad…"

"...is on a realm-wide hip hop tour. And if it wasn't that, he'd find a million other excuses not to be with me today. Yeah," she said slowly at the sympathetic looks on her friend's faces. "Our relationship… isn't the greatest."

Bloom grabbed her hand with her free one. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, we didn't know," Stella added.

Musa huffed a teary laugh. "Don't apologise, of course you guys didn't know. It's not something I like to talk about a lot." She used a free hand to wipe away the tears starting to trail down her face while Stella looped her arm around Musa's shoulders, pulling her close.

Bloom was surprised to find her own face wet with tears and when she looked up Stella's face was similarly streaked.

"Eugh, look at us," Bloom sniffed, rubbing at her cheek and the other two chuckled wetly. "Anyway, we've got a little family right here and I say we forget all this shit and have a good time today."

"Bloom's right," Stella said, twisting to look out at the windows. "The sun is shining, there's a festival in the city which means, shopping and a dance tonight."

Before the other two could answer, Stella's phone beeped from inside her skirt pocket. She pulled it out and read the message, a small smile playing at her mouth.

"Well, who is it?" Bloom asked, already having a feeling about who could make Stella smile like that.

"Sky," Stella sighed, making Musa and Bloom grin at each other. "He and some of the others will be at the festival today. Hint, hint, nudge, nudge. And they want to know if we'll be there and at the dance tonight."

"I thought you were mad at him?" Bloom teased her but Stella simply waved a dismissive hand. "Shall we?" Bloom said to Musa.

"Does this count as a real date?" Musa wanted to know. "There's lack of notice-"

"No formal invitation-" Bloom added.

"It's not even specific to Stella-" Musa grinned.

Stella groaned and buried her face in her arms. "Who cares?"

"Are you feeling alright?" Bloom fake-gasped while Musa felt at her forehead, checking for a temperature.

"Shut up," Stella grinned, sitting upright again. "Who cares if there's no hand-written note, or trail of flower petals to a candlelit dinner. I just want to see him again."

"So go," Musa grinned. Her smile faded. "But I think I'm going to hang back."

"I can stay," Bloom offered and Stella nodded her agreement.

"Nah, it's cool," Musa said, waving her hand. "I think I just want some time alone. But you guys have fun."

Stella stood from the bench and held out her arms. "Get over here, you two."

They stepped into her arms and the three shared a group hug before getting on with their day.

* * *

Across the lagoon, at the top of Cloud Tower Castle's highest tower was Headmistress Griffin's office where she currently sat chewing out three of her senior students.

"You three witches are really starting to stir my cauldron!" she boomed, watching them angrily. "Do you know what this is?" she asked, brandishing a formal looking envelope bearing the Alfea coat of arms. "It's a letter of protest from Miss Faragonda over at Alfea!" The letter burst into flame in Griffin's hand. "If you're going to wreak havoc, do it without making fools out of yourselves! Enough of this releasing third-rate beasts and getting caught by a bunch of freshman pixies!

"I'm giving you one more chance to get this right. Break some hearts, break some bones, _I do not care_ but by the end of the day there had better be some pixie eyes filled with tears. Clear?"

"Crystal," Icy smirked, mind already scheming with plans.

"Good," Griffin smirked. "Now get out of my office."

* * *

While Stella and Bloom caught the bus into Magix City, Musa found a quiet spot at the top of the East Tower. She pulled an elaborately carved rose from her pocket and remembered when her mum had pressed it into her hand just before she'd died.

" _This way I'll always be with you,"_ she had whispered, guiding Musa's thumb to the button set into the bottom.

Musa's finger found the button once more as she looked out of the Alfea campus and the woods beyond. The rose split down the middle, revealing a holographic image of her mother and Musa smiled at the sight.

"I brought you here like I promised I would. You always did say this was your favourite spot when you went to Alfea... the spot where Dad first kissed you…"

She climbed up onto the ledge, sat with her back against a nearby pillar, and rested the flower containing her mother's holograph on the ledge.

"There you go. So let me tell you what's been going on: classes are good and I'm acing potions." As if it could really hear her, the holograph smiled encouragingly and for a moment it was like her mother was back again. Musa always felt a little odd at first, talking to someone who wasn't there, but as usual she slowly relaxed, imagining that her mother could hear her, wherever she was. "And I met this guy," she said slyly. "His name's Riven and he's kind of rough around the edges. But I think that might just be his way of flirting, you know?

"Anyway," she continued picking up the holograph. "There's no classes, so I'm gonna spend the whole day with you. I'll show you this old gazebo me and my friends found down by the lake and then I have to play you this song I've been working on."

She slid off the edge and headed for the stairs, a content hum coursing through her despite the ache of missing her parents.

* * *

Magix City was absolutely packed with people, families were milling around celebrating the day, shops were stuffed with people buying last minute presents for their parents, and there were extra stalls and performers set up all over the place, making it hard to get anywhere fast, as Brandon, Sky, Riven, Stella, and Bloom were quickly finding out.

"This festival gets bigger and bigger every year," Sky said in amazement as they passed yet another performer juggling fire.

"Too many people for my taste," Riven grumbled. "And lame," he added, eyes catching on a woman selling stones she proclaimed could improve bad moods. "What are they all doing out on the streets, anyway?"

"What you should be doing," Brandon said. "Relaxing and enjoying themselves." His eyes fell on the same vendor Riven had noticed and he grinned. "Maybe I should buy you one of those, bro."

"Ha ha," Riven retorted sarcastically and they moved on.

"So why didn't you guys go home?" Bloom asked.

"My Dad's working," Brandon supplied.

"My parents are too busy running Eraklyon to spend time with their son apparently," Sky sighed and Stella grabbed his hand with a soft, empathetic smile.

"I feel that."

"What about you, Riven?" Bloom asked, not noticing how Sky and Brandon stiffened slightly. They knew why this was such a hard holiday for Riven and they weren't sure if Bloom was going to cop it for asking.

To their surprise, Riven didn't snap but was rather matter-of-fact with his answer. "I don't know who my father is and my mother abandoned me when I was a baby."

Stella gasped and covered her mouth with her hand, "I'm so sorry Riven."

Riven shrugged.

Bloom however didn't apologise. "I know how you feel," she murmured quietly.

Riven's head snapped around, and his tone was hard, though not altogether unkind when he asked, "How do you know anything?"

"I was adopted," Bloom said, with a shrug.

Everyone was looking at her then.

"I didn't know that," Brandon said.

Bloom shrugged again. "It's not really a big deal, but it does suck not to know anything about your biological parents. I don't even know if they're still alive."

"Sounds like your foster care system is as bad as ours," Riven said lightly, sharing a tentative smile with Bloom.

"Yeah. Anyway, enough of this gloominess," Bloom announced. "I thought this was supposed to be a happy day."

"Too right, girl," Stella said, looping her arm through Bloom's and pulling her along and leaving the guy's to follow.

A sudden clamouring from the crowd had them all looking up to see a ship appear them and release countless roses. The flowers rained down on them and Sky plucked one from the sky.

"For you, Princess," he said with a charming grin, offering the rose to Stella.

"Thanks," Stella said dreamily, looking deep into Sky's eyes.

Bloom disentangled herself from Stella with a laugh and caught eyes with Brandon, both bursting into laughter, unable to control their mirth.

"It's good to see you," Brandon said, once they'd caught their breath again.

"Yeah, you to," Bloom smiled.

Riven watching all four of them, felt his good mood drain away once more and cleared his throat pointedly. "Hey Romeos, some of the racers are already warming up."

Riven turned away and walked off without waiting to see if they followed, heading towards a gate that separated them from the roads that had been set up for the big Day of the Rose race. A flurry of riders went flying past, some doing tricks.

"The Annual Race for the Rose," Brandon explained, as they leant on the barricade to watch.

"Wow," Bloom breathed, as one rider used a ramp to do a jump.

"It's going to be an intense race this year," Brandon told Bloom.

Riven scoffed and met Brandon's eyes over the top of Bloom's head. "Maybe for you guys. For me it's going to be a relaxing walk in the park."

Bloom looked between them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Brandon demanded.

"I'm just saying, you guys don't stand a chance."

Brandon and Sky rolled their eyes at Riven's arrogance.

"A chance of what?" Bloom wanted to know.

"A chance of beating me. I'm going to leave them in the dust. They might as well put my name on the trophy right now."

"So you don't think we're going to be any competition?" Sky asked, arching a dark eyebrow.

"This from the guy who fell off his bike on his first lap last year?"

"Here comes the macho bullshit all over again," Bloom muttered to Stella, rolling her eyes, but her blonde friend was preoccupied with something else.

"This all sounds dangerous," she said, frowning.

But Sky waved reassuring hand. "Leva-bikes are completely safe. We wear state-of-the-at padding."

As if to punctuate his point, a rider went flying past, but as he tried to take the sharp turn, his bike toppled over and went skidding, taking him along with him. It looked like a bad crash but the rider was up in a second, waving at the crowd to show that he was alright.

"Alright," Stella said, though she still sounded suspicious. "But you have to dance with me tonight, so don't break anything, ok?" She accentuated her words with a poke to Sky's chest, the prince using the opportunity to grab her hand again.

"I'll try my best," Sky promised, smiling winningly at her. "But I'm going to have to race all out if I'm going to teach Riven here, a lesson."

Riven scoffed but didn't reply. They left the barricades, wanting to walk around a little longer before the race started.

"Well, I'll be rooting for Brandon," Bloom decided, eyes shining as they walked along, enjoying the sunlight and street performers.

Sky chuckled. "Ok, so who's going to be rooting for you, Riven? Bloom's going for Brandon, Stella's rooting for me, where's your cheerleader?"

As if Riven needed the reminder. "I don't need one," he spat, trying to look unconcerned. "Unlike you."

Brandon, who'd been chuckling lightly at Sky's half-hearted teasing, rolled his eyes at the sudden appearance of Riven's temper. "Relax, bro. We're just kidding."

"Trust me, if I actually wanted one of these Alfea girls, I could and you know it."

Sky scoffed. "Wanna bet?" he muttered.

But Riven heard it and his eyes glinted. "Sure. If I win the race, I get to pick one of your fairy friends to be my escort for the dance this evening."

Stella and Bloom's head snapped up, having gotten bored with the usual argument between the guys and they gasped at the disrespect.

"We," Bloom growled dangerously, "aren't something for you to trade around amongst your friends like playthings. _I_ choose who I go out with, not you, not Brandon or Sky, not anyone"

Riven smirked arrogantly at her anger. "You should be thanking me, Bloom. You've had your eye on my for a while now, haven't you?"

Brandon rolled his eyes and it was Bloom's turn to scoff. "The only eye I'd give you," she said icily. "Is 'I don't think so'."

Riven smiled mockingly. "Right."

"You're totally conceited," Bloom spat. "Totally, cocky, totally boring, and a waste of space."

The other three gasped, a mixture of shock at the usually calm Bloom's outburst and worried for Riven's reaction.

But again Riven surprised them when he just smiled saccharine sweet. "You know, you're cute when you're angry." He reached out to touch her cheek but Bloom jerked away as though his touch burned.

"Hands off," she said furiously before abruptly calming down and smiling serenely. "You know what, I think you need to cool down, Riven."

Riven frowned at the abrupt change in demeanour and didn't notice the sparks gathering at Bloom's fingertips until the flowerpot rom outside a nearby store she'd summoned tipped over his head, absolutely drenching him with water. The other three tried to suppress their laughter, knowing that Riven's temper would be quick to follow but the sight of their pouting friend was too much to handle.

Bloom arched a triumphant eyebrow and smirked. "Still think I'm cute when I'm angry?"

Her elation faded slightly however at Riven's aggravated growl. "I am so gonna make you pay for that, Bloom!"

"You should only dish it out if you can take it in return," Bloom shot back, crossing her arms defensively. When Riven's scowl didn't diminish in the slightest she reached out a worried hand. "Look Riven-"

"Get lost," he snapped, and shook off her hand.

"Come on, Riven," Brandon tried. "She just-"

"I'm getting out of here," Riven snarled and whirled away without another word, his damp and bedraggled appearance drawing stares from passerby's.

Bloom, Sky, and Brandon all watched him go, feeling a little bad for laughing while Stella seemed unconcerned.

"Hey, he had it coming."

* * *

Meanwhile, Riven stalked about the festival glaring at the people he passed and earning more than a few stares for both his appearance and his aggravated grumbling.

"Stupid girls," he snarled under his breath. Sky's teasing had struck a sour note inside Riven, reminding him of another thing he didn't have. Brandon and Sky who had parents waiting for them at home - unlike Riven - but had given up the holiday with them to be with the girls' they were interested in, girls that Riven couldn't even get to take an interest in him. He leaned up against a shop front and peered at himself in the reflected glass. He just didn't understand what it was about him that sent people running.

He pushed away from the glass and went back to shoving through the crowd, completely oblivious to the three witches watching him from nearby. Intent on fulfilling Griffin's mission and wreaking havoc, the Trix figured the best place to do it was the crowded city centre.

"Ladies," Icy called. "Do you see what I see?"

Darcy and Stormy joined her at the mouth of the alleyway and watched as Riven's brooding form disappeared into the crowd.

"This guy's got a major attitude problem. I like it," Darcy purred.

"Eugh," Stormy groaned, prompting Darcy to push her, hard.

"Save the catfight for later," Icy ordered, as it looked like Stormy was about to retaliate. "We've got trouble to cause, remember? And I think that guy is exactly what we need. We'll play the hulking bad boy against the uppity earth girl and sit back and see how much havoc they wreak themselves."

"Devious," Stormy praised.

"And we might even get him to come to our side," Darcy pointed out.

Stormy and Icy rolled their eyes at her infatuation and Icy summoned Knut with a snap of her fingers, the enormous ogre appearing out of a flash of purple lightning.

"What can I do for you, mistress," Knut said, sounding nervous.

"We need to borrow you," Icy said and started the spell before Knut could think about it or protest.

Once he felt the familiar tug of magic changing his appearance however, he began to struggle. "Please, not that. Please!"

But it was too late and his face was gone, having been replaced by one that looked exactly like Timmy. Knut felt around at his face, wondering why he was having so much trouble seeing until Icy clapped her hands and Timmy's glasses appeared on his face, and everything suddenly focussed.

"He looks perfect," Darcy said, squinting at the ogre.

"And sounds right," Stormy added.

"Now listen…" Icy ordered, drawing the ogre closer so she could whisper the plan right into his ear.

* * *

Bloom was enjoying the festival for the Day of the Rose; it wasn't completely unlike street fair's she'd been to on earth but on a much larger scale, and here the performers were so much more captivating as they used their magic to enhance their acts. Stella had been understanding at first but when Bloom stopped to watch the fifth ring tosser they'd passed she started to get impatient.

"Bloom, come on, the race is going to start soon," she said, watching as Brandon and Sky kept walking.

But something else had caught Bloom's eyes and she found herself pulling her hand free from Stella's. "You go ahead," she said absently. "There's something I want to see."

Stella bit her lip and looked from Bloom to the guy's retreating backs. When she glanced back to tell Bloom she'd wait she found her friend had disappeared in the thick crowd and she couldn't see even a hint of Bloom's vibrant hair. She growled out a sigh and took off after the guys hoping Bloom wouldn't get lost on her way back.

Bloom's attention had been caught by a woman and the exotic music she was singing and dancing to. Her outfit of a crop top and billowing pants reminded Bloom of belly dancers she had seen on earth. The fluidity of the woman's movements when she rolled her hips and body to the sultry music had Bloom captivated and when she sang it was like she was singing directly into her soul.

" _Come to me, rhythm. Come to me, fire."_

Bloom started to sway subconsciously to the music as the woman twisted and flipped and her eyes grew hazy until it wasn't the performer she was watching but the woman from her dream that morning. And when she spoke it was no longer the performer singing but a familiar voice whispering to her.

"Come to me," she said. "Come to me Bloom!"

Bloom's breath left her in a quiet gasp and she took an unwilling step closer.

"Your destiny awaits," the strange woman murmured and Bloom felt her eyes droop, felt herself begin to move forward again. Then a hand clamped down on her shoulder jolting her from her reverie. Her eyes flew open to find that the woman had once again become the dancer and that she was still dancing as though nothing strange had happened.

"Bloom?"

She turned at the familiar voice to see that it was Timmy who was touching her shoulder. Still feeling affected by the strange trance she rubbed at her tired eyes and tried to smile.

"Timmy, hey."

"Are you alright, Bloom?" Timmy asked, sounding concerned despite her efforts. He looked around quickly, before settling his eyes back on her.

Bloom forced herself to sound normal and tried for a more convincing smile. "Yeah, just had a weird moment there, but I'm good. I didn't know you were here too."

"Yeah. I just bumped into the other guys," he said. But Timmy sounded odd and stuttered, his eyes jumping around nervously, but figuring the crowds were putting off the normally shy teenager, Bloom brushed it off, especially upon hearing his enxt words. "They said you vanished. Come on, let's go try to find them."

"What do you mean vanished?" Bloom asked, as they tried to fight their through the crowd in the direction of the starting line. "I only stepped away for like a minute."

"Oh, well, I don't know, they just said- and I heard about your disagreement with Riven," Timmy said, laughing nervously.

Though confused by Timmy's admittedly oddly nervous behaviour, Bloom was distracted by her sudden guilt over her actions towards Riven.

"I feel bad," she murmured and tugged at an errant strand of hair.

"Well," Timmy said after a moment. "I know just the way you can patch things up with him."

Bloom regarded him, unconvinced. "Really?"

"Sure." He pulled a small black case from his pocket and showed it to Bloom with a weak sounding, "Ta-da."

"What is it?"

Timmy started fidgeting with the case, trying to open it, but it looked to Bloom like he was having some trouble with it.

"Do you uh, need some help?" Bloom asked.

Timmy huffed a laugh as the case popped open and he shook his head. "No, I'm good. Now, uh-" He withdrew a headset from the case and pulled them onto his head but they immediately slid down his face again.

"Everything ok, Timmy? You're acting a little weird."

Timmy pushed the headset up so it was sitting on his head properly again and tried to smile. "I'm ok," he promised. "Everything is under control."

Bloom shrugged off his odd behaviour, after all Timmy could be a little socially awkward at times and waited for him to show her what the headset was for.

"I bought this for Riven, see," he said. "It's a special moni- domini- no sorry omnidrive helmet. See?" Laughing nervously at his stumbling, Timmy clicked a button on the side of the helmet and the headset grew until it was a complete helmet encasing Timmy's head.

Bloom frowned, however. In the short time Bloom had known him, she had already grown accustomed to his long and stuttering ramblings, but never, not once, in the months she'd known him had she heard him stumble over explaining the technology of something. He was like Tecna that way. Before she could think on her suspicions any deeper however Timmy started talking again, distracting her.

"It's the latest model, perfectly engineered for dynamic speed and outside noise reduction," Timmy babbled, sounding more like himself. He clicked the button again and the helmet snapped back into a headset which Timmy removed and tucked back into it's case which he offered to Bloom.

"You should give it to him."

Bloom took the helmet hesitantly, fingers running over the shiny black case.

"It's cool," she said. "But if you bought it for him, you should give it to him. I can't take credit for your gift."

"You guy's making up is much more important."

Something still felt off to Bloom, but when she tried to hand back the headset, Timmy backed away with a smile.

"I've got to run. There's a science thing, over… yeah. Give that to Riven and everything will work out," Timmy promised before running over without another word.

"Are you sure?" Bloom called after him, but he was already gone, disappearing mysteriously quickly.

* * *

Knut stumbled into an alleyway, falling on his butt as three witches appeared over him.

"You almost blew it," Icy hissed, ice gathering at her fingertips in her anger.

"I'm sorry," Knut grunted, still wearing Timmy's face.

Darcy clicked her fingers and Knut transformed back into himself with a purple flash.

Stormy pouted. "I thought we were gonna get to punish him. Besides I liked him better the other way."

The other two witches ignored her griping and they teleported away, taking Knut with them. Icy surveyed the rooftop they'd arrived on, approached the railing and looked down at the crowds milling about below them, unaware of the witches currently watching them from above. Icy smirked satisfied.

"This will be perfect to watch from," she chuckled.

Stormy shared her smile. "Especially since Riven's helmet is bound to steal the show."

"It'll malfunction, he'll blame Bloom, and when Darcy catches him, he'll be so grateful he'll join our side."

"I sure hope so," Darcy muttered, not quite quiet enough to evade her friend's ears.

"Awwww," they crooned together, throwing their arms around Darcy's shoulders while she snarled at them.

"You are so crushing," Stormy sang cruelly.

"No, I'm not," Darcy snapped.

"Yeah, sure," Icy said, joining in. "You just think he'd be useful to us," she mocked.

"More useful than Knut, that's for sure."

"I think Darcy would like to make him her pet project," Icy said, catching Stormy's eye.

"Emphasis on the 'pet'," they said together, cackling evilly.

* * *

Down in the heart of Magix City the Annual Race for the Rose was about to start. An announcer was standing up on the stage, surrounded by a large crowd, eagerly anticipating the start of the race.

"Ladies, Gentleman and creatures from all the realms, welcome to the Annual Race for the Rose. Will last year's champion go home with his third Rose trophy, or have last year's losers learned a thing or two? Let's hear it for our champions!"

The crowd roared obediently, as the riders guided their bikes to the starting line. After their fight earlier, Riven was steadfastly walking alone while Brandon and Sky dawdled along as slowly as they could get away with, waiting for Stella to get back from looking for Bloom. She ran up behind them but shook her head at their hopeful expressions.

"Come on, bro," Sky said, nudging his friend. "We take any longer and they'll start without us."

"Yeah," Brandon murmured, eyes scanning the crowd worriedly for a familiar head of red hair.

A voice called out from behind them however as they approached the starting line and they turned to find Bloom jogging after them.

"Bloom," Stella sighed, relief colouring her words. "Where did you run off to? Tell me you spotted an amazing sale."

"Not quite," Bloom said, looking around at the other riders. "Hang on a second, I just need to talk to Riven."

Leaving her friends staring after her in confusion - because why on earth would she want to talk to Riven after what had happened earlier? - Bloom hurried over to Riven, who was about to pull on his helmet, a maroon one that matched his weapons.

"Hey," Bloom said with a cautious smile as she reached his side.

But Riven just sneered. "What do _you_ want?"

Put off by the hostility in both his voice and displayed openly on his face and stuttered for a moment. "I- I just- well-"

"Could you make this quick?"

"I just wanted to give you this," Bloom finally managed, holding up the headset Timmy had given her. "It's uh…" Bloom trailed off, trying to remember the complicated words Timmy had used to describe the technology before shrugging. "It's a gift." She clicked the button and the headset transformed into the helmet. "I just wanted to say sorry and Timmy-"

But Riven had stopped listening, looking instead at the helmet in her hands. "Give me that," Riven snapped, snatching the helmet from her and turning it over in his hands. He pulled it on and marvelled at the way it blocked out the crowd's cheering and the visor focussed his gaze. He clicked it away and stared down at Bloom haughtily. "Was there anything else?"

Bloom scoffed at his rudeness. "A thank you would be nice."

But Riven had already turned away and was fiddling with the controls on his bike. Bloom rolled her eyes and stalked off and back to her friends who were lining up.

"Hey," she said, touching Brandon's elbow. He flipped his visor up and even though she couldn't see his whole face she knew he was smiling. Then his blue eyes grew worried and flickered over to shoulder to where Riven was.

"What was that all about?"

She smiled tiredly and rolled her eyes half-heartedly. "I was trying to do us all a favour and make up with Riven but you know-"

"Riven insisted on being Riven," he finished, amusement returning.

"Something like that," Bloom murmured, wishing that she could see his smile. She shook her head to clear the sappy thoughts and smiled. "Be careful, yeah? I want at least one dance tonight."

"For sure."

"And kick some butt," she added with a grin and squeezed his elbow before joining Stella, heading for the sidelines. She looked over her shoulder to see Brandon wink at her before flipping his visor back down. Beside him Sky gave Stella a thumbs up before similarly turning his attention to the race.

The girls slipped through a gap in the gates and settled in to watch the race, while the announcer made a final call for the riders to get into position.

"So what did you give Riven?" Stella asked, eyes glued to Sky's green helmet.

Bloom tore her own eyes from Brandon to frown uncomprehendingly at her friend. It took almost a full minute where she could only blink and wonder what one earth Stella was talking about to remember.

"Girl, you got it bad," Stella laughed.

Bloom didn't dignify that with a comment and told Stella about her run in with Timmy, "Oh, I ran into Timmy and he thought that I should give Riven a new helmet to patch things up between us."

It was Stella's turn to frown at her friend. "Timmy?"

"Yeah?" Bloom asked, doubting herself now.

"And you saw him just a few minutes ago?" Stella asked.

"Yeah, just after we split up."

"Timmy went home for the Day of the Rose," Stella frowned. "I mean he's from Magix, the realm but his family lives on the opposite side of the planet. There's no way he'd be anywhere near the city today."

Bloom laughed in disbelief. "But I saw him. Talked to him. It was him." But her stomach was slowly sinking as she remembered how oddly Timmy had been acting.

Stella made a sympathetic noise. "Sorry, honey, but it couldn't have been."

Bloom's stomach churned as she thought of the helmet she'd just given to Riven which was apparently not from Timmy.

"Then who was I talking to?"

Bad feeling increasing, Bloom turned on the spot scanning the crowd for any sign of danger. As she spun, the crowd blurred together to become a mess of colour and shapes. Then, drawn by some unnameable force Bloom looked up and spotted the sight of three familiar witches and an ogre.

"Stella," she said numbly, feeling for her friend's arm. But the crowd was too loud and Stella was intent on the race.

Distantly she heard the announcer start the countdown but Bloom was preoccupied with the Trix and wondering what they could be up to. Without waiting for Stella, Bloom started pushing through the crowd, mindless of the people she banged into, not knowing what she was going to do but knowing she had to do something. Behind her, Stella finally noticed her friend's distress and hurried to follow her.

"What's going on?" Stella called out, before apologising to a man she'd almost knocked to the ground. "Sorry sir. Bloom! Wait!" She finally caught up to her friend just as Bloom was nearing the edge of the crowd and clamped a hand down on her shoulder to stop her escaping again.

"Look," she cried desperately, pointing to the rooftop, thankful that the witches hadn't noticed them yet.

Stella followed the line of her arm and her expression darkened. "Damn!"

* * *

On the track the riders were practically vibrating with anticipation. A screen flashed with numbers, counting down from ten until the race would start and they'd finally see who the best racer was.

"You ready?" Sky asked Brandon and Riven through their helmet intercoms which because they were on the same squad had automatically synced up when they'd lined up next to each other. The countdown reached halfway.

Brandon murmured an agreement while Riven scoffed.

"Of course. Are you ready to lose?"

Sky rolled his eyes but chose not to dignify the comment with a response. He turned his attention back to the race just as the number one flashed.

* * *

"We need to stop the race," Stella said firmly, eyes intent on the witches on the rooftop.

Knowing they didn't have the time to discuss it further they began pushing their way back through the crowd, to get either the guy's attention or the announcer's they didn't know. As long as it stopped the race before anyone got hurt, they didn't care.

But before they could get even halfway, the crowd's screams suddenly increased and they knew even without straining to see over the heads off the crowd that the race had begun.

"Shit!" Stella swore.

They pushed their way back out of the crowd, getting more than a few disgruntled looks and collapsed against a shop front, thinking fast.

"Ok," Stella panted. "What could they be up to."

"I don't know, but it's got to have something to do with that helmet. Come on," she pulled Stella down a nearby alley. It lead to another part of the race that the riders were going to cross soon. "We've got to get to Riven before something happens."

Stella groaned, realising what her friend was proposing. "Please, don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Stella said, already thinking about the looks and the embarrassment.

Bloom, not too keen on the idea either looked grim. "It's the only way."

"It's just Riven," Stella tried but sighed straight after and relented. "Alright, let's do this."

Before she could talk herself out of it, she transformed into her fairy form, Bloom doing the same beside her. Glancing up, Stella realised with an alarming jolt of her stomach that the trio of witches had become a duo. "Bloom," she said slowly. "Darcy's not on the roof anymore."

Bloom glanced up as well and her stomach dropped. Their time had officially run out.

* * *

Nearby, Darcy waited for the perfect moment, then just as a cluster of riders passed by she pulled out of alley she'd been waiting in and joined the race. In order to ensure she was close enough to "save the day" - and wasn't that ironic - they'd decided she needed to be in the race. It'd also help if she could make sure that no other riders tried to threaten Riven's place at the front of the pack.

Which was why as soon as she got into the flow of the race she started picking off the other riders, one by one; a twitch of the fingers here to make a bike malfunction, a murmured incantation there to send two riders colliding with each other.

" _Mean girls are popular,"_ she hummed tunelessly under her breath as she went, remembering the pop song she'd loved as a child; she'd idolised Nissa Crimson for years. " _Mean girls are cool, mean girls are icy cold."_

Soon enough there was only Sky, Brandon and Riven left to battle it out for first place.

* * *

The second Bloom and Stella flew onto the track, they earnt the attention of the crowd and the announcer, some pointing and gaping, others laughing. A snappy comment from the announcer about overeager fans had them gritting their teeth but flying on. If it saved Riven it would be worth it.

"That's got to be Darcy," Bloom yelled over the rush of the wind, as they watched a lone rider escape the plethora of crashes and malfunctions. Then they saw a flicker of purple magic and Brandon and Sky's bikes were dropping back for no reason and slowing to a stop.

"I'll make sure they're ok," Stella yelled, slowing. "You get Riven."

She dropped from the sky to check in with the guy's while Bloom sped ahead. Bloom heard Brandon shout after her but she had to leave him in Stella's capable hands and get to Riven. She sped over Darcy and surged after Riven's bike.

* * *

Riven grinned as he sped past Brandon and Sky. He didn't know where Bloom had gotten the helmet but he'd been riding so much better with it. He made a mental note to thank her and patch things up with her and the others later before setting his sights on the finish line. He was so intent on his goal that he didn't notice Bloom speeding up behind him.

"Riven!" she yelled, but the helmet was doing it's job and blocking out all external noise. She huffed a sigh and shot forward, knowing she'd have to get even closer if she had any hope of getting his attention. She put all her energy into speeding up. "Riven! Stop your bike!"

Mercifully, this time Riven heard her and noticed her in his side-mirror but rather than heeding her warning as she'd hoped, all feelings of gratitude for her drained away.

"Bloom!" he snarled. "What do you think you're doing?" Mind clouded by the adrenaline he jumped to the first conclusion that he could think of. "This race is mine!"

"Riven, listen to me!" she cried out, getting desperate now. "The helmet I gave you-" But Riven sped up and Bloom dropped behind the rest of her warning lost to the wind.

Bloom was just gathering her energy to speed after Riven again when out of nowhere he let go of the handlebars completely and clutched at his helmet with both hands. "My helmet! I can't see!"

His bike slowed, surprising Bloom and the pair collided painfully sending them in opposite direction. There was a united cry from the crowd as they watched. Bloom spun through the air, momentarily disoriented while Riven was thrown from his bike. She righted herself and hurried to catch him but Darcy sped in out of nowhere and caught him on the back of her own bike.

By the time Bloom reached them Darcy had stopped and was lowering Riven's unconscious form to the ground and the rest of the riders as well as Stella were arriving.

"What happened?" Brandon asked, sounding worried for his friend.

"Something happened with his helmet and he crashed. I was trying to help him." Bloom shifted closer and lowered her voice. "The witches are here."

Brandon's face clouded over and he looked around, surreptitiously searching for the witches. Neither noticed the mumbled incantation Darcy spoke as she tried to wake the stirring Riven.

" _A heart as soft as a velvet glove, open your eyes and fall in love."_

She removed Riven's helmet as he blinked back to consciousness.

"What happened?" he groaned, reaching a hand up to his throbbing temple. He blinked up at Darcy and was instantly enthralled as the love spell took him over. "Who are you?"

"Good thing I caught you in time," Darcy smirked, as she helped Riven to his feet. "The name's Darcy."

The crowd slowly dispersed as they realised the rider was fine, mumbling and grumbling about the disaster of the race while Riven smiled dreamily at Darcy.

* * *

Up on the rooftop Icy and Stormy scoffed at the sappy display.

"Gag me," Stormy grouched.

Icy smirked before clicking her fingers and teleported them back to Cloud Tower. Their job was done.

* * *

Meanwhile Bloom and Stella looked about ready to actually gag at the sight of Riven mooning over Darcy.

"Claws off, witch," Bloom snapped, stepping closer.

"Yeah, back off, would you?" Stella added.

Brandon and Sky in the dark about most of it, shifted slightly behind them.

"Chill out pixies," Darcy shot back. "I'm the one who saved him remember?"

Aggravated both Bloom and Stella tried to shoot forward and probably would have attacked her right then and there if it hadn't been for Brandon and Sky. Brandon looped an arm around Bloom's waist and if she hadn't been intent on Darcy she might have noticed the way her heart leapt at the feeling of his skin on hers. Sky meanwhile had his hands full of Stella who looked about ready to spell him into letting her go.

"You and the other witches are the ones who caused the accident."

"That's a lie," Riven spat. "I saw you and Stella fly onto the track, Bloom, and then you did something to deactivate my helmet so your little Brandon could win!"

Bloom scoffed. "You honestly think I'd go through all that just so Brandon could win a stupid race?"

Brandon was also outraged at the assumption. "Why don't you just hear her out, before you jump to conclusions."

"Whatever," Riven said, ripping the headset from his hair. "Take your stupid gift back," he said and tossed the headset at her. Bloom was just luckily she had the mind to dodge or else she would have copped it to the face.

"Hey!" Sky barked. "I get that this is a mess and everyone's confused but there's no need to get violent."

Bloom sucked in a shaking breath and tried to calm herself. Getting frustrated would only make her more upset and wouldn't help clear things up. "I was tricked by the Trix," she said. Darcy smirked at her over Riven's shoulder and Bloom felt her composure slip. "You have to believe me," she continued, and even she could hear the desperation in her voice. "They sent someone disguised as Timmy to trick me."

"Wow," Riven said sounding incredulous. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that nonsense?"

"Hey," Stella broke in, glaring at Riven. "I saw the Trix too. And we all know what they're capable of."

"It's the truth," Bloom gritted out, fed up with Riven's stubbornness. "I swear."

Brandon's hand found hers and squeezed comfortingly. "Of course we believe you," Brandon said, with a meaningful look at Riven then at Darcy. " _You_ wouldn't lie to us."

But Riven would not be swayed on the matter. "So you believe her and not me?"

"I didn't say that, Riven," Brandon countered. "I just-"

"You're all in on this," Riven said interrupting him. "You-"

"What?" Sky snapped, rejoining the fray. "We're just trying to figure this all out."

"Forget it," Riven snapped. "I'm sick of you guys. I'm requesting a transfer to a different squad." He turned away without another word and stalked off, Darcy running after him with a haughty smile.

Bloom was annoyed and embarrassed to feel hot tears spill over her cheeks and rubbed at her eyes furiously.

"Hey, it's alright," Brandon said gently and reached for her. "You don't need to be upset-"

Bloom sniffed and shook off Brandon's hand. "Eugh, I'm not even upset, I'm just frustrated."

More tears trickled down her cheeks and she dashed at them even more angrily. This time when Brandon reached for her, she went willingly into his embrace, taking comfort in the security it provided. Stella grabbed her hand while Sky rubbed her shoulder and Bloom was grateful for their support. She was even more glad when Brandon started talking to the others, giving her a moment to rest her head against his shoulder, hair shielding her face while she composed herself.

"They've got to want something with Riven, otherwise they wouldn't have bothered helping him."

"But you know it's not just Riven they're after," Stella said, sounding worried.

Bloom withdrew from Brandon's arms, sending him a grateful smile before turning to the other two. "Yeah it's all of us."

None of them much felt like staying for the party after that, the chase having exhausted Bloom and Stella and the subsequent fight having exhausted them all. Brandon and Sky gave the girls rides home on their bikes so they could escape the stares and whispers they were receiving from citizens of Magix City before heading home themselves. Once there they seperated with a simple goodnight. There would be time for analysis and planning with the guys later, when everyone was back, for now, the girls simply wanted to retreat to the comfort of their dorm room.

* * *

Bloom had never been on television before, but after watching a newsreel of herself and Stella fly madly through the streets of Magix and seemingly cause a crash, she could honestly if she was never on television again it would be too soon.

Four of the five friends sat watching the late news, with headlines proclaiming _**OVER-EAGER TEENS DISRUPT DAY OF THE ROSE CELEBRATION!**_ Bloom had never felt more embarrassed than she did watching a loop of herself on realm-wide television while she was labeled a silly teenager. Tecna had arrived shortly before dinner and over the meal she and Stella had regaled her and Musa (Flora not being due home for another few hours yet) the unfortunate tale of what had occurred in the city that day. Now, sitting in the slowly darkening room, Bloom cringed while Tecna wondered aloud if the story would reach the dimension-wide news.

Beside Bloom, Stella's lips twisted as she sighed unhappily. "That is so not my best side," she said, eyeing the screen with distaste.

Tecna rolled her eyes and Musa shook her head, pigtails moving madly, while Bloom buried her face in her hands. A thunderous voice coming from Stella's phone had her looking up again.

" _Stella Ophelia Redmond,"_ her father yelled, his voice audible even through the tiny speaker. Stella winced and pulled the phone away from her ear slightly. " _Are you listening to me, young lady?!"_

"Yes, of course, Daddy. You have my complete concentration," Stella replied absently.

" _I don't know what you were thinking,"_ her father continued furiously. " _But your actions were not befitting a_ lady, _let alone a Princess!"_

"I was thinking," Stella shot back. "That my friends were in danger and what kind of fairy would I be if I didn't try to help them?"

" _I don't care if the bloody queen of the universe is in danger. You have made a ridiculous spectacle of yourself and by extension the entire royal family of Solaria, the PR team is having a bloody space-cow-"_

"Sorry Dad, got to go," Stella chriped brightly. "That's mum on the other line," she lied flippantly.

" _Good,"_ the King of Solaria growled. " _Maybe she can knock some sense into you."_

Stella hung up without another word and tossed her phone onto the empty armchair, setting her fuming frown on the television set. The room descended into silence, the three other friends watching the television avidly, lest they accidentally set off the obviously upset blonde.

"Are you alright, Stell?" Bloom finally asked timidly.

"Fine," Stella bit out, now glaring at the screen.

Stella had obviously been less than impressed with the reaction she'd gotten from her parents. It probably hadn't helped that just prior Bloom had gotten off the phone with her own parents, whom she'd chosen to tell the story to and who had reacted with more worry that Bloom had put herself in danger than the consequences of her news appearance.

They were all saved from awkwardly trying to make Stella talk by the sudden ringing off her phone. The girl's face tightened but she didn't speak a single word or even look away from the reporter on the screen. Finally Musa reached over to pick up the phone and glance at the caller I.D.

"It's Prince Sky," she said and carefully offered the phone to Stella.

Something in the blonde girl eased and she accepted the phone, standing to take the call in the privacy of her own room.

Just before the door shut behind her, the three fairies remaining heard the faint voice of Sky saying, " _Uh, hi, I just wanted to call and make sure you were doing alright."_

The girls shared smiles, knowing that would put Stella in a better mood and while Tecna and Musa turned their attention back to the television, Bloom surreptitiously checked her phone, disappointed by the lack of messages from Brandon.

On the screen the reporter was laughing obnoxiously. " _I'm sorry,"_ he guffawed. " _But I just find this too funny. Can we play the clip one more time?"_

And as Bloom's own figure appeared on the screen once again, the real Bloom loosed a growl and stormed into her own room, shutting the door forcefully behind her. She changed into her pyjamas and despite the fact that Flora still wasn't back and light's out wasn't for another hour and a half, she flipped off the light's and threw herself into bed. It was there, not long later, waiting for sleep to claim her that her phone chirped with a message.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Hey, just wanted to make sure you're doing alright._

Bloom paused, smile on her face and phone in hand, wanting to construct the perfectly interested but casual message in response before finally she decided to throw caution to the winds and type back.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Better now._

The return message came through only seconds later.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Good to hear it. Sweet dreams, Bloom._

All out grinning now, Bloom typed out a final message before setting her phone aside and lying back. After the short conversation with Brandon, it seemed sleep was much closer than before.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Goodnight, Brandon xx_


	10. Chapter 10

Riven didn't waste any time delivering on his threats to transfer for the very next day Timmy, Riven, Brandon, and Sky were all pulled from their first period class in order to resolve the issue. Catching a glimpse of the scowl on Riven's face as they trooped out of the classroom, Brandon could only be grateful that he shared a room with Sky in their dorm, rather than Riven, like Timmy had to.

They got to Codatorta's office, lined up like the good soldiers they were training to be and tried not to laugh at the sight before them. Codatorta was a battle master, a big beefy man who looked like he could bench press a bus if he wanted, so to see him squeezed behind a desk in the office he rarely used was almost too much for the guys to take. It was only the knowledge that they would be stuck cleaning out the stables for eternity that stopped them from showing their amusement.

"I assume you all know why you're here?" Codatorta said gruffly.

Just like that the amusement faded from the four of them. They glanced between each other before returning their gazes fto the front again. They'd all assumed they were finding out which squad Riven would be swapping into and who would be replacing him.

Codatorta heaved a heavy sigh that seemed to rattle the window panes and leant back in his chair. The chair protested with a groan. "Talk to me, boys. I thought you were finally working together?"

There were all silent, staring pointedly at the wall above Codatorta's head.

"Irreconcilable differences," Riven said stiffly, at last.

Codatorta did not look amused by the response and didn't speak straight away. When he did though, he surprised all four of them. "Request denied."

They all gaped in shock but only Riven was brave - or stupid - enough to argue.

"Wh-what? But I-"

For such a big man, Codatorta moved fast and in a flash he was out from behind his desk and leaning over Riven, who to his credit, didn't flinch away from the beefy face suddenly nose to nose with him.

"Did I stutter, cadet?" Codatorta growled and wisely this time Riven kept his mouth shut.

Codatorta stayed in his face for a long moment, almost daring Riven to object again before he straightened and began pacing before them. "I don't know why you don't want to be a squad anymore. I don't really care why you don't want to be a squad anymore. But I will not disrupt everyone else in the year just because you four can't get it together. You'll work it out, or you'll fail the year. Understood?"

They were silent, figuring it was another rhetorical question.

Then, " _ **Understood?!"**_

"Yes, Sir," they replied in unison and Codatorta nodded in satisfaction.

"Now get out of my office. You're due in defensive techniques 101 in five minutes."

They shuffled out of his office not talking to each other and headed for the classroom. They had no choice now but to muddle through and hope to the gods that they didn't fail the year.

* * *

As the days crawled by and exams inched closer, Bloom wished she could attribute the sudden increase in frequency and intensity of her dreams to the stress of constant study. But these weren't her usual stress dreams; dreams where she would sit down in the exam and realise she didn't know a single word or dreams where she got her paper back with a big fat 0 scribbled at the top in vicious red ink. No, Bloom was still being haunted by the phantom woman whose face hovered just out of reach and slipped through her hands like water when she tried to think about it too hard. The woman who called out for her to remember and start her journey.

The dream always started the exact same way; her alone, at the bottom of a great cavern, with slimy walls and damp air. Then a voice would whisper to her.

"Bloom," it called. "Bloom."

Despite the frequency of her dreams, Bloom never quite recognised it at first. Then a burst of light lit up behind her and she turned to see a familiar figure standing before her.

"The time has come." The woman smiled gently as she spoke. "You must begin your journey."

Bloom took a hesitant step towards her. "What journey? I don't understand."

The woman's - and Bloom just wished she knew her name - smile widened and she reached out a hand to Bloom. "Don't worry, I will guide you. I'll always be with you."

Although it didn't make sense, Bloom found herself trusting the woman. She took another step towards her. "I still don't know where I'm supposed to go."

"Come find me!" the woman said, sounding urgent all of a sudden. "You need to come find me."

"But I don't know you," Bloom frowned.

A hint of something crossed across the woman's brilliant face. Disappointment or pain, Bloom wasn't sure but it disappeared as quickly as it came and the gentle smile returned. "Of course you know me, angel. You simply need to remember."

"Remember what?!"

The woman glanced over her shoulder once and seemed to slump. Then she straightened and took several quick steps towards Bloom. She took Bloom's face between her hands before the teenager could think to pull away. "You simply need to remember me, angel," she said softly, and pressed a kiss to Bloom's forehead.

Bloom could feel no pressure on her face, not where the woman's hands held her cheeks nor where her lips pressed against her skin but warmth spread from those spots until her entire body felt like it had just slipped into a warm bath.

"Remember me," the woman whispered again. "Then come find me." She stepped away and Bloom saw that her smile had grown sad. "And be very brave."

And then, with a name dancing on the tip of Bloom's tongue the woman disappeared and everything faded to black.

* * *

Flora was very worried about her room-mate. The entire dorm was aware that Bloom was having increasingly intense dreams each night, having woken them up on more than one occasion with her sleep-talking but something about tonight felt different.

Flora wasn't sure at first what had woken her up; she wasn't thirsty, she didn't need to go to the bathroom, and for once the room was quiet and Bloom wasn't talking. Then she heard it: the quiet rustle of bedsheets from the other side of the room.

Since she'd been a child the lesson to always follow her instincts had been hammered into her by her parents. So Flora followed the bad feeling in her stomach, slipped from her bed, padded across the pitch black room and squinted through the gloom to check on her friend. When her eyes finally adjusted and she found the outline of her friend, and saw Bloom tossing and turning violently in bed, quiet noises of protest slipping from her mouth.

Flora reached out a hand to touch her shoulder and wake her from her nightmare but Bloom refused to wake. Even when Flora shook her vigorously and called her name as loudly as she dared, Bloom remained stubbornly asleep. There was no other choice, she'd have to wake one of the others.

Flora paused at the doorway of their room, biting her lip and thinking hard. Tecna was the one she really wanted to talk to, Tecna who knew everything about everything, and would have a logical explanation for Bloom's actions. But that would mean sneaking past Musa, a notoriously light sleeper who was also terrifyingly volatile when woken a second before her alarm. She probably wouldn't appreciate being woken at 3a.m. Flora grimaced and headed to Stella's door instead.

Thankfully she only had to knock once before she heard Stella's grumble as the blonde woke up and the almost silent sound of her feet on the carpet. While she waited for the door to open, Flora hugged her arms around herself, hoping to ward off the chill of the night. The door opened a crack and Stella blinked out at her, yawning so wide her jaw cracked.

"Flora?" Stella whined, rubbing at her eyes while they adjusted. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"It's Bloom, I think- I think something's wrong."

The words took a moment to register in Stella's sleep addled brain but when they did she slowly straightened and the exhaustion seemed to leech from her. Squaring her shoulders, Stella followed Flora from her room and across the dorm. When they got to Bloom and Flora's room, Bloom was no longer just tossing and turning about but was now glowing as well. Even in a school of magic the glow that covered every inch of Bloom's body was odd.

"Ok," Flora said, voice wavering as she tried to control her nerves. "That wasn't happening before. It's like her Winx is activating."

The pair stood at the foot of Bloom's bed, nervous but not urgent as it seemed Bloom wasn't in any immediate danger.

"In her sleep?" Stella asked dubiously, still eyeing her friend. "I didn't think that was possible."

Before Flora could try and answer Bloom abruptly changed outfits. Gone where her pajama pants and sleep shirt and in their place were the skirt and midriff of her fairy form. A familiar set of glistening wings protruded from her shoulder blades.

Flora and Stella's eyes widened. Bloom mumbled something under her breath but didn't wake up.

"Did you see that outfit change?" Stella hissed. "I wish I could do that in my sleep."

"More than clothes are changing here," Flora said with a frown, watching as Bloom changed back into her pyjamas. "I've heard of this, it means her powers are evolving."

"Wow," Stella said, for lack of any other response. "Do you think we should wake her?"

Flora frowned thoughtfully and considered her friend. Bloom had settled down again, the glow had faded from sight, she was no longer tossing and turning and her breathing had evened out.

"No," she finally decided. "Let her sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning."

* * *

The dorm was quiet the next morning, a Saturday which allowed them all to sleep in. Bloom, Flora, and Musa all took advantage of the weekend to sleep in until the sun was well and truly up, Stella disappeared without an explanation early in the morning, and Tecna spent the morning working on her homework. Finally though, as it was nearing lunchtime, they all dragged themselves out of the dorm to take a walk, Stella appearing and looking grumpy about it as they were walking down to the quad and discussing the events of last night.

Tecna confirmed Flora's suspicion that Bloom's powers were most likely evolving but they still had no clue why they were evolving all of a sudden or how the dreams factored in.

"They were just dreams," Bloom said, with an accompanied shrug.

Tecna merely raised an eyebrow and looked at her expectantly.

Bloom sighed and tried to remember. "Well, it was the same voice that lead us out of the fire at Cloud Tower."

"Uh huh, what else," Tecna said and Bloom over to find her actually taking notes.

"This is so boring," Stella groused, but they ignored her.

"What did she look like," Tecna said instead, trying to prompt Bloom.

"Well, she was tall," Bloom said, thinking of how the woman had had to duck to kiss her forehead. "And really beautiful." Bloom bit her lip and tried to think of specifics, but she couldn't even picture the colour of the long flowing hair that had seemed to wrap around Bloom like an embrace. "The specifics are kind of fuzzy," she admitted grudgingly.

Tecna pulled a round gadget from her pocket and held it up. "Just keep talking. This is a psychic beetle and it'll pick up whatever you can't remember." The lid of the gadget flipped open to reveal a life-like looking ladybug sitting inside. There was a tell-tale whir that betrayed it however when the beetle's wings began to flutter and it lifted in the air to fly to Bloom.

"Oh, okay," Bloom said, trying not to be distracted by the beetle. "Well, I know that she long flowing hair, maybe blonde," Bloom said. "And I think we were underwater. Or at the very least near water." The details dried up fast after that but it seemed like it was enough because the beetle fluttered back to it's bay.

"This beetle is the latest version and it's data will help me to create a digi-sketch," Tecna said.

"DJ Sketch?" Musa said pulling a face. "Isn't he that guy who spins top 40 tunes?"

"No," Bloom laughed, recognising the term from Earth. "A digi-sketch is like a digital rendering of a description, right, Tecna?"

Tecna hummed distractedly. "Yes, but a the psychic beetle will give us more detail as it has direct access to information from your subconscious."

While Bloom tried not to shudder at the thought of the beetle digging around in her brain, Stella stalked off ahead. She'd been the only one, not contributing or at least interested in the discussion about Bloom's dreams. She hadn't been saying much at all, Bloom realised.

"I'll just upload the data, let the beetle do it's work and...," Tecna, muttered to herself tapping button on the gadget. "Voila!" she said with a flourish and a holograph emerged from the gadget, projecting the face that had been haunting Bloom's dreams. As soon as she saw it, the details of the dream came rushing back, the urgency in her voice, the kiss to her forehead, and oddly an echo of a singing voice although Bloom couldn't remember the woman singing to her in the dream.

"That's definitely her," Bloom murmured, reaching out to touch the holograph but it shivered and flickered when her fingers broke the surface. Disappointed, Bloom pulled her hand back.

"There's something else," Tecna said, an odd note in her voice. "I've processed all the data and there's a strong possibility that the dream was a psycho-magic message."

They were all silent as they processed Tecna's words.

"What?" Bloom said, hating the hysterical note she could hear in her voice. "You think this woman was trying to communicate with me?"

Tecna shrugged. "There's a possibility."

Bloom repressed the urge to laugh in disbelief and kneaded her temple with her fingers, feeling an oncoming headache.

"I feel like I've seen her before," Bloom said, thinking back. "Other than my dream, that is," she continued quickly, when Stella opened her mouth to retort. "Tecna can you find out who she is?"

Tecna nodded and whipped out her hand-held computer. "Just give me a moment."

While Tecna searched for the mystery woman, Bloom closed her eyes and cast her mind back over every encounter she'd had with her. There had been countless dreams over the weeks, the hallucination in Magix City, and somewhere else that was itching at the back of Bloom's brain. Also, tugging at her concentration was the thought that she somehow knew the woman's name. The name felt as though it was resting on her tongue and just waiting for her to open her mouth and say it.

Distantly she heard Tecna say, "And her name is…"

"Daphne," Bloom said quietly, just because it felt right.

"Daphne," Tecna finished lamely.

There was a long, uncomfortable silence and when Bloom opened her eyes it was to find her friends staring at her with emotions that ranged from curiosity to caution. Even Stella looked interested now.

"How did you know her name," Flora asked, fear making her voice waver slightly.

"I- I don't know," Bloom admitted. "I- maybe she told me?" She said, though she knew the woman - Daphne - never had.

"Right," Tecna said, still staring at Bloom as though she'd just done a magic trick. She cleared her throat and glanced down at the computer screen. "Well, it makes sense that you remember her face, Bloom."

"It does?" Bloom asked hopefully.

"Yeah, her likeness is featured on the Town Hall facade."

"Why would she be on the Town Hall facade?" Musa asked suspiciously.

"Because she's a Nymph of the Magical Dimension," Tecna said, already frowning and reading further on her computer.

"What does that mean?" Bloom asked, looking around at the others for help but they looked just as perplexed as she did. "What does a Nymph of the Magic Dimension do? And how do you become one?"

"I'm not sure," Tecna said. "It's very vague and I've never heard the reference before. Oh!"

"What now," Bloom said tiredly. As she'd tried to piece the puzzle together her headache had only grown and was making her eyes water slightly with the pain.

Tecna looked up at them all, an odd expression on her face. "Daphne was also the name of one of the princesses of Sparx before it was destroyed. She was killed in the attack."

"Could these two Daphne's be the same person?" Musa demanded but Tecna could only shrug.

"One of the princesses?" Bloom heard herself ask over the buzzing pain of her headache. She didn't know why that was what she latched to but it felt important for reasons she couldn't identify.

Tecna checked her computer again. "There was another, Princess Daphne's younger sister."

"What was her name?"

Her curiosity surprised all of them, including herself but Bloom needed to know. Ignoring the looks she was receiving, Bloom looked to Tecna imploringly.

"She wasn't named; she wasn't even a month old, which is when babies are- were named on Sparx."

"And what happened to her?"

"I don't-"

"Just tell me," Bloom said, clutching at her head with both hands now. Flora reached for her wrist and tugged her hand away, sapping away her pain with a spell. Bloom could have kissed her.

Tecna's eyes scanned her computer screen and her face fell. Bloom's own stomach dropped and she knew without Tecna having to tell her. "She's presumed dead." At the other's confusion she continued. "She was never found alive, and her body was never found, and no witnesses survived to testify what happened to her. Now, what is this all about, Bloom?"

Bloom gave an incredulous laugh and tipped back her head to look up at the sky, anything to avoid looking at the worried faces of her friends. "Don't you think it's all a bit odd? First, there's this Nymph Daphne who keeps appearing in my dreams," Bloom said ticking it off on a finger. "Then we think it's possible she might also be Daphne, Princess of Sparx, the place where the _Dragon Fire_ is from, this mysterious power that the witches are after. And she might be communicating with me, one of the girls the Trix have be harassing. And on a completely unrelated matter her younger sister, who the Dragon Fire would have passed onto _could_ still be alive and Daphne keeps telling me I need to go on a journey. I just don't understand how it all fits together."

"Bloom," Tecna said sharply yet not unkindly. "Are you actually saying that you think the lost Princess of Sparx could be alive and be in possession of the Dragon Fire and that Daphne wants you to find her?"

Bloom shrugged and another incredulous giggle escaped her. "I'm saying I don't know, I just don't understand how it's all connect-"

"Ok, enough!" Stella suddenly snapped. Bloom was surprised when she turned to friend to find her amber eyes dark with anger. "It's just a silly little dream that you're all blowing out of proportion."

Wrung out by all her revelations, Bloom snapped. "What is with you today?!"

"Maybe because I'm tired of you always stealing the stage. It's always 'me, me, me' with you! 'Look at me'," Stella mimicked, in a poor imitation of Bloom. "'I'm the cute little girl from Earth, look at me I have powers, look at me I have no clue how to control them'!"

Musa, Flora, and Tecna stared open mouth between the two as Bloom shrunk back, hurt by Stella's words.

"That's not funny," she said quietly. Bloom didn't admit it out loud, even to her friends but she was constantly aware of how behind she was compared to the other girls. It wasn't even only the spells but also the culture she didn't understand and to have some of her deepest insecurities laid out so blatantly by Stella hurt her in ways she couldn't describe.

Stella ignored Bloom's response. "Everyone has weird dreams," Stella continued flippantly. "Who cares?"

Bloom sucked in a shaking breath and tried to remain calm. "This could be important, Stella."

But Stella just rolled her eyes with an annoyingly smug smile. "Yes, important to you, you, you."

"Stella!" Tecna said, sounding equal parts astonished by her friend's behaviour and admonishing. "What in the world is your problem?"

"Nothing," Stella sang, her flippancy grating even further on Bloom's nerves. "I am simply 'telling it how it is' as Musa would say."

"Hey," Musa protested weakly "Don't drag me into this."

Stella ignored her. "I'm just 'keeping it real'."

Bloom rolled her eyes. "Fine, whatever. I really don't need this. I don't know what's wrong with you but I'm going to go do some research while you throw your little princess tantrum, Stella. Come find me when you want to apologise and be productive."

"Fine, go," Stella said snidely.

"Have fun with her," Bloom added in an undertone to the other three as she walked away.

Flora patted her hand as she passed. "I'll come find you later, okay?"

Bloom smiled and hurried away before Stella could start up again. Once she'd disappeared into the castle again, Tecna, Musa, and Flora each turned judgemental eyes on Stella who blinked back innocently.

"What?" she asked, frowning with confusion. "What did I say?"

They didn't bother to answer and just turned to leave.

* * *

The Alfea Library was bigger than any library Bloom had ever seen. It took up a great big section of the school, contained more books than a single person could ever hope to read in a lifetime, and was maintained by one plump fairy, with pink hair, and a smile that could turn into a snarl within a heartbeat of someone even thinking about damaging one of her precious books. Miss Barbatea scared the hell out of Bloom, and she made sure to keep Kiko hidden well in her jumper pocket as she walked into the library. She didn't know if animals were forbidden in the library but she didn't like to take the chance.

Still getting the hang of the organisational system, Bloom wandered through the stacks, reading the golden plaques fixed on the end of each which informed her of the rows contents.

"Trolls, ghosts, leprechauns," she mumbled under her breath, wondering if there was a section for nymphs.

Miss Barbatea sat at a large desk in the centre of the library and inspected her aimless form over the top of her spectacles. "Still getting the hang of the Dewey Magical System?" she asked as Bloom wandered past.

Bloom stopped and approached her desk, craning her neck to look up at the librarian. "Yeah, I need information about a nymph but I'm not sure where to start looking. I only have her name."

"The research lectern might be a good place to start," Barbatea advised, nodding at something over Bloom's shoulder.

She turned to see that past the common area with it's desks and armchairs was a small semi-circle shaped area with a dais and a solid gold lectern atop it.

"Just use the name as a keyword and the library will search for you. You'll get the books with the most mentions and they'll be stacked in order of relevance. The more specific your keyword is, the more useful the search will be."

She thanked the librarian and walked over to it, ascending the steps and standing before the lectern. It was even more elaborate up close, Bloom saw, the ornate gold detailing forming a butterfly whose wings would hold the pages of a book.

Bloom just stood and thought for a moment, chewing her lip as she considered what key-word to use. The obvious choice was to just use the name Daphne, but there could be hundreds of magical beings with the name, and not knowing what a Nymph of the Magical Dimension was there could even be many nymphs with the name Daphne and Bloom didn't feel much sifting through all those books. She wondered how she could narrow down her search and it hit her. A book about the history of Magix City Town Hall would have to have _something_ on the nymphs depicted on their facade.

"Magix City Town hall," Bloom said clearly. She waited patiently, but even after a minute there was no sign of anything happening. She straightened, cleared her throat and said a little louder - although still mindful of Barbara's preference for a quiet library - "Magix City Town Hall." Still nothing happened and she frowned, wondering what she could be doing wrong. Then she caught sight of her hands and laughed at her own daftness. "Magix City Town Hall," she said for a third - and hopefully final time - and summoned magic to her hand as she pressed it down on the centre of the lectern.

The effect was instantaneous and a dozen books floated off their shelves from all over the library and sailed neatly towards her, the first settling atop the lectern, the rest stacking themselves neatly by her side, the stack reaching nearly to her hip. She frowned at the abundance of information but figured she'd at least look at the first book. Which she realised was actually a magazine.

"Magix Monthly," she read, before flicking it open. "This month's events at Town Hall: sorcerer soccer. Wrong book," she decided, flipping it closed again, figuring that the magazine wouldn't have anything about Town Hall's history. "Not that goblin goalies don't sound interesting," she chuckled.

Bloom frowned slightly down at the large stack of book, sure that the information she needed would be in there somewhere. What had Barbatea said: _The more specific your keyword is, the more useful the search will be._ Bloom cleared her throat again.

"Magix City Town Hall facade." Her fingers were illuminated with magic as she activated the lectern.

At once the magazine flew away with many of the books from the stack beside her, leaving only two books, one of which flew up to the lectern and flipped open to the right page, helpfully highlighting the relevant parts of the page in shimmering yellow.

"Wow," Bloom breathed, eyes drinking in the hungrily as she began to read:

 _The facade of of Magix City Town Hall features the nine nymphs of the Magical Dimension who have ruled over the dimension consecutively since the disappearance of the Great Dragon. Each former fairies, members of the Sparx royal family, and holders of the Dragon Flame (one of the most influential forces in the magical history), these nymphs are considered to not only be some of the most powerful beings in the Magical Dimension but also the most deserving to dictate the destiny of the dimension. Due to their non-corporeal form their role in the Magical Dimension is consultative rather than authoritative._

Bloom realised with an uncomfortable jolt that the air around her had become unnaturally silent and she was unable to hear the quiet chatter of the other students or even the occasional sound of paper on wood as a book slid from it's place on the shelves. She looked up slowly, something telling her to limit sudden movements, to find countless books hovering in a circle around her on the dais. Then as if responding to a silent command they slowly started to drift around, slowly at first and then faster until they were moving so fast she could no longer see anything outside the dome of books trapping her in place. The whole thing had taken less than a minute.

"Okay," Bloom said slowly, looking around through her hair which was being whipped about by the wind created by the moving books. "Miss Barbatea!" she called, trying to stay calm. It had to be a glitch in the system, or someone's idea of a stupid prank, and logically Bloom knew that but she couldn't deny the way her heart was beating hard in her chest or the way her breath was coming faster and faster.

Over the rustle of the books moving she could hear noises of distress coming from the other students and a loud clanging that she couldn't place. At least, she thought in relief even as the books started to press closer, they knew something was happening.

Miss Barbatea had her hands full outside the cyclone of books, however. Some of the students had noticed the odd behaviour of the books at the research lectern and had notified her but as soon as she'd gone to help, she'd noticed another disruption at the other end of the library: the normally impenetrable gates of the restricted vaults were shaking as books pressed against them and the lock was twitching as though it wanted to open.

"The restricted vault!" she gasped, looking between the books that were slowly pressing in on the trapped Bloom and the dangerous books that looked like they were going to be set free any minute.

Her eyes fell on a nearby group of seniors. "Girls, try and stop those books," she said, pointing to the cyclone at the research lectern. They leapt into action without a word, this was what they'd trained for after all. Barbatea's eyes then found one of her assistant's who was standing with her hand over her mouth, the trolley of books she was shelving forgotten beside her. "Serilda," she barked, no time for gentleness. "Go to Miss Faragonda's office and tell her there's an emergency in the library."

"Yes, Miss," the girl said timidly.

But she didn't drag her eyes away from the cyclone of books where Bloom's voice was getting more and more worried.

"Now, Miss Martinez!"

"Yes, of course." And she ran off.

Barbatea glanced back only once to ensure that the seniors were indeed holding their own against the books, for the time being anyway before hurrying to the restricted vault. In all her time at Alfea - which was longer than she cared to admit - Barbatea had never seen a disturbance like this in the restricted vault and without more time to identify what was going on she couldn't do more than a quick locking spell that would hopefully hold the gates until everything calmed down. Only once the spell was complete and the lock no longer looked like it would burst open at any second did she allow herself to run back to the research lectern where Faragonda had arrived and was taking control of the situation.

" _Restotuo-ordo,"_ Faragonda said sternly and at once the books stopped revealing a crouching Bloom who'd thrown her arms over the head. The books quivered for a moment in mid air before dropping, raining down on them.

Bloom slowly looked up while Barbatea shepherded everyone out of the library, sending the exhausted seniors to the nurse's office for a replenishment potion and the others back to their dorms, leaving only Barbatea, a shaking Bloom, and Faragonda.

"Something very powerful seems to have disturbed the order here," Faragonda said, looking around at the mess of books.

Bloom made a small, distressed noise and stood in one fluid movement and flung her gasping self at Faragonda who caught her in surprise and patted her back gently.

"It's okay, Bloom," she said gently, still surveying the rebellious books. "It's all over now, dear."

Barbatea scooped a nearby book off the ground and frowned at its cover. "She couldn't have possibly asked for these books," Barbatea said to Faragonda quietly. "They're on some of our most obscure topics and besides only available to seniors; the library shouldn't have given her access."

"I don't believe she did," Faragonda responded, voice equally quiet. "The books chose her." She pulled back from Bloom to inspect her tear streaked face. "Go back to your dear and get some rest. And please don't mention this to anyone."

"Thank you," Bloom sniffed, before hurrying out of the library.

Barbatea waited for the door to shut behind Bloom before speaking again. "Miss Faragonda there's something else, the restricted vault was about to open."

The alarm in Faragonda's face was an echo of the fear on Barbatea's.

"Miss Barbatea, what could have done that?"

"I'm not sure Headmistress. I've never seen anything like it."

The pair waded through the books on the ground to the dais where the books Bloom had been reading were still sitting, open to the same page.

"The nymphs of the Magical Dimension?" Faragonda asked, fingers running over the text.

The odd note in her voice had Barbatea turning to her in surprise. "Is there something wrong with that, Miss?"

"No," Faragonda said, although she sounded unsure. Then her eyes fell on a book laying on the step of the dais and she gasped. She hurried over and picked it up. "The Last Witch Coven?" she said sounding worried. "This book is not part of our collection."

"No, it is not."

"Close the library," Faragonda said at once and Barbatea gasped, the books she'd begun to collect tumbling from her grasp. She nodded once however, not daring to argue. Especially after Faragonda's next words. "There are dark forces at work here," she said with another long look around the cavernous library.

* * *

After the big argument with Bloom in the quad that morning the rest of the girls had retreated back to the dorm, Tecna, Musa, and Flora wanting to study for the upcoming exams while Stella had nothing better to do than laze around all day.

"Hey, Flora," Stella drawled from Musa's bed. Beside her, Flora hummed absently as she read through her textbook. "Do you know what would look really cute on you? A fashion sense, my dear," she said, a dry laugh accompanying the barbed comment. All three others looked around and frowned.

"That's not very nice," Flora said, sounding torn between hurt and annoyed.

"No need for the 'tude. It's just constructive criticism," Stella sighed.

Flora put her book to the side and crossed her arms defensively. "Are you kidding me? You're the one with the attitude problem today."

"Yeah," Musa piped up from her desk. "You're out of control."

In general, the group didn't like to get involved in fights when it was between just two or three of them but it seemed like Stella was going after everyone.

"Don't diss me just because you got dissed, girl," Stella shot back, smiling sweetly.

Musa turned back around and busied herself with her notes. "No I didn't," she said, more to her desk than the others in the room.

Stella laughed, a mean, unpleasant noise that set the hairs on the back of Musa's neck on end. "You got so dissed by Riven. It's actually quite tragic."

Musa scoffed. "Please, like I care what _he_ does anyway. And another thing: what's tragic is you thinking you can come into _my_ crib and act like you're all that."

But it was like the words just rolled off Stella's back because she laughed again and rolled her eyes. "At least you're not totally hopeless like Tecna. _She_ chooses her clothes for their fireproof qualities. But Timmy still crushes on her," Stella added as an afterthought.

Tecna, who'd been studying quietly on the other side of the room, looked up at the sudden attention on her. Then Stella's words registered and she blushed a dark pink.

"Hey! First of all, Timmy is not crushing on me, we're just friends. And second, I like my clothes."

Again it was like the words had no effect on Stella and she turned back to Musa. "If you would just get rid of those pigtails, acquire some better denim, and don't forget make-up. Do that and you might just get Riven to call you."

Musa tried not to show how Stella's words were affecting her but it was like she was a mind reader and could tell exactly what Musa was thinking. Musa had seen the way Sky looked at Stella, and Brandon at Bloom, and even Timmy at Tecna, yet it was like no matter what she did, Riven remained oblivious. Stella smirked even as Musa buried her nose determinedly in a nearby book. She had no idea what it was about but it was better than looking at Stella's smug face.

"Of course," Stella's voice was silky as she spoke right into Musa's ear. "He might be with Darcy."

"That is enough!" Flora said, standing suddenly and sending her own book to the ground with a thump. "You leave her alone. In fact leave us all alone!"

Stella waved a dismissive hand. "It's not like she doesn't know they're together."

Musa jumped from her chair, sending it spinning away on its wheels and stepped right up into Stella's face. "Shut it," she barked, forcing back tears. "Before I make you shut it! Got it?"

Stella gasped and stumbled back a few steps.

"I'm just saying, darling," she said weakly, still wearing that infuriating smile that Musa wanted to slap off. "If you'd seen the way Riven was drooling over Darcy, you would not like him so much.

Instead of hitting Stella like she so wanted to, Musa stormed from the room before her emotions betrayed her and the tears she could feel building behind her eyes made an appearance.

Stella didn't watch her go, but turned her attention to her nails, only looking up when the room went quiet. "What?" she asked, shrugging when Tecna glared at her.

Tecna left without a word, storming out after Musa, calling her name, leaving Flora looking madder than Stella had ever seen her. Usually sweet Flora, was almost spitting with rage, eyes narrowed to slits and lips pressed together so tightly they'd almost disappeared.

"I don't know what's up with you, Stella," she said, voice dangerously low. "I don't know if something's happened to put you in this mood, or if this is how you really are. Either way you'd better stay far away from Musa until you're ready to apologise."

Flora stomped from the room without another word and followed after Tecna, leaving Stella to stare at the space her friends had just vacated.

* * *

Bloom was slowly meandering across the quad in the direction of the entrance hall, not really looking forward to be back in Stella's moody company but looking forward to collapsing on her bed for a couple of hours before dinner. Kiko was riding on her shoulder, listening intently as she slowly worked through what she had learned about Daphne so far.

"So, now we know Daphne the nymph of the Magical Dimension and Crown Princess Daphne of Sparx are- er were the same person. We know she's pretty powerful and that she used to have the Dragon Flame. But we don't where the power went after she died; if her sister was alive it would have gone to her. But what if the other princess did actually die? Did the power just disappear? Or is it somewhere else? And was Daphne really trying to talk to me? And why me? And what was she trying to say?" Bloom wanted to groan at the confusion of it all. They'd found out a lot but there was still so much she didn't know.

Her phone chimed in her pocket, and Bloom pulled it out already smiling in anticipation. Brandon's name flashed back at her along with his message.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Books attacked you? That's one I haven't heard before._

Bloom knew she had been told not to tell anybody but there had been so many people there that it was going to get around sooner or later. And what was the harm in telling Brandon? Besides talking to a friend had helped calm her down after the encounter. Smiling, she began to type back:

 _ **Bloom:**_ _All part of going to a school of magic. Although I must say that was strange even for Alfea._

Glancing up at the sound of footsteps crunching on the gravel, Bloom spotted a familiar face heading towards her, though she didn't notice the tear-streaked cheeks at first.

"Hey, what's up, Musa? The weirdest thing just happened to me," she continued before Musa could answer even if she wanted to. "I was in the library and trying to use the research lectern thing and then out of nowhere- hey what's wrong?"

She'd finally noticed that her friend looked upset and was barely listening to her, in fact Musa was walking right past without even looking at Bloom.

"Musa!" she called after her friend but Musa didn't so much as glance back. "Are you okay?!"

She was about to go after her when her phone chimed again in her hand and she glanced down at the screen automatically. Unfortunately that meant she didn't see Stella barrelling towards her until they were colliding painfully and she stumbled to the ground. Bloom was barely down a second before Stella was reaching down and yanking her upright again holding onto Bloom's hands even after she was upright.

"I'm so sorry," Stella said. "Are you alright?"

Bloom narrowed her gaze on her friend, remembering all too well how Stella had been acting earlier. "I'm fine," she finally said.

"I didn't even see you there, I was looking for Musa."

"Oh, I just saw her," Bloom said, then remembered how upset Musa had been. "Tell me you didn't upset her." When Stella just shifted nervously, Bloom frowned. "What is up with you today?"

"I figured it out," Stella said unhappily. "A senior cast a mood swing spell on me."

"And let me guess, that makes you way rude? You'd better go after her."

Stella took off without another word, running in the same direction Musa had gone while Bloom followed slower, still feeling the sting of her fall. She finally caught up with Stella who was watching a bus drive away with a frown.

"She got on the bus and there won't be another for at least another half hour. Maybe more."

Bloom was still mad at Stella for everything she'd said across the day but she could see how bad her friend felt and it wasn't really her fault so she slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders - hard to do since Stella was inches taller than she was - and lead her back to the castle.

"What did you say to Musa anyway?"

"I can't remember but I'm sure it was awful judging by Tecna and Flora's reaction."

"I'm sure it was."

"I have to warn you the spell could come back," Stella was warning her as they approached the doors to the castle just as Tecna and Flora emerged from inside.

"We tried looking for Musa but we couldn't find her anywhere," Flora said.

"What spell?" Tecna asked as the same time.

Bloom glanced at her blonde friend. "Stella thinks a senior put a spell on her, some-"

"Mood-swing spell?" Tecna asked, mouth dropping open. "Oh wow, you've had a textbook-perfect case of it, I should have realised. I wonder who it was, maybe they have some tips-"

"Not the point," Stella snapped. She grimaced and rubbed at her temple. "Sorry."

But Flora was regarded her friend curiously. "Were you giving the seniors fashion advice again?"

Stella chuckled ruefully. "Yeah, how did you know?"

Flora smiled and laughed. "Just a wild guess."

"So how are we going to find Musa?" Bloom asked. "The next bus won't be here for ages and she looked really upset."

They were silent as they thought.

"Well," Stella finally said, shifting on her feet. "We could always ask the guys to give us a lift."

* * *

The bus pulled to a halt in the heart of Magix City and Musa got off. She was still fuming as she stalked away, unable to believe that Stella could think she could still be interested in Riven, even after hearing how he'd treated her friends on the Day of the Rose.

She turned down a side street blindly, not caring where she was going, kicking a stray can and beatboxing under her breath. Musa didn't seem to notice the looks she was getting from passers-by and wandered along. She wasn't sure where she was heading but as long as it was away from Stella, she didn't really care.

It was many minutes before she glanced up and realised she'd walked all the way downtown and was surrounded by browsing witches. Musa wrinkled her nose and was just about to turn on her heel and head back when she caught sight of two familiar faces inside a nearby cafe. Cursing her weakness, Musa stepped quickly out of the view but didn't leave, choosing instead to listen at the open window where she could hear their every word, even over the din of the other patrons. Thankful for her jacket, Musa tugged the hood over her face and glanced surreptitiously at other witches walking the streets before focussing in on the conversation between Darcy and Riven.

"Riven," Darcy was purring. "Babe, I can call you babe, right?"

Musa grimaced and fought not to hurl at the saccharine sweetness in Darcy's voice.

"I mean you are the hottest guy at Red Fountain."

"Oh?" Musa heard Riven respond and she could just about picture the arrogant smirk on his face. She rolled her eyes. "Tell me more."

"You're sizzling, Riven. You've got the brains that the rest at Red Fountain doesn't and the muscles to back it up. Talent like yours shouldn't be wasted. And with someone like me, it won't."

"Go on."

Musa gaped. She couldn't believe that Riven was buying into all of Darcy's bullshit.

"Well, there's no formal arrangement, sweetie. We just need to know that we can count on you, so say you'll be mine, and then just like that, you will belong to me."

Musa didn't like the sound of that, but thankfully neither did Riven if his tone was anything to go by. "Hold up."

But Darcy didn't seem too perturbed by his resistance.

"Look at me. Riven, look at me!"

There was something in her voice that had Musa's stomach twisting uncomfortably so she risked exposure and peeked around the window frame and into the cafe. Sure enough she caught Darcy's eyes flashing purple for a second as she cast a spell on Riven. Musa gritted her teeth to keep back a scream and any hope she had for someone else to intervene was dashed when she saw others around them smirking and even laughing at the display.

Riven's voice was monotone when he spoke. "I belong to you, Darcy."

Musa didn't know what she would have done then. She'd like to think she would have stormed in there, regardless of the witches and help someone she'd thought of as a friend. But she could never know because Icy and Stormy had appeared behind her, and cornered her.

"No wonder it reeks," Icy said coldly and Musa froze, staring at the window aghast. "One of the loser's is here."

Musa wheeled around slowly.

"Awww," Stormy crooned reaching forward and pushing Musa's hood off her head. In her shock and dismay Musa let her. "It's the one with the pigtails." She reached out to flick one of Musa's pigtails but the fairy had finally regained her wits and reared back before she had the chance.

"Back off, perm-head," Musa shot back, looking at Stormy's own hair with distaste. She went to stalk away without another word but Icy moved fast, blocking her way.

"Not so fast," Icy said cruelly. "Where do you think you're going?"

Musa didn't let Icy phase her and stepped around her. "Back to civilisation," she spat, eyes intent on the distance. But Icy was there again, stopping her.

"I thought we were going to chat and discuss why you're in _our_ territory _and_ spying on our friend."

Musa gave a harsh bark of laughter, only partly faked. "Don't make me laugh. I go wherever I want, whenever I want. And I'm certainly not wasting my time spying on _Darcy."_

This time it was Stormy who was in her face when she tried to leave and Musa snarled in frustration. She restrained the rest of her reaction, which was to zap them with a spell, knowing that that she was outnumbered.

"You don't come onto Cloud Tower turf and get to leave again. Besides we know spying when we see it."

Icy nodded, mean smile widening. "That's right. I bet you were watching, Riven. A little pixie told me you've got a crush on him."

Musa forced more laughter, but it sounded fake to even her own ears. "You don't want to get into it with me, witch!"

Icy's eyes narrowed at the threat. "You're not in the Harmonic Realm now, little Princess, and your daddy and his palace guards aren't here to protect you." Musa flinched, almost imperceptibly at the mention of her royal status but judging by the return of Icy's cruel smirk, Musa knew she'd noticed it.

"Don't," she tried to say but her voice was no more than a whisper.

"Although," Icy drawled on as though Musa hadn't spoken at all. "You're not actually a Princess are you? Because your daddy renounced his claim to the throne. So really, you're nothing. At least according to Riven."

Musa knew logically that Icy was only saying these things to get to her and that Riven had probably never said anything of the sort but it was working and Musa could feel tears burning behind her eyes.

Icy leaned forward, murmuring right into Musa's ear now, "Absolutely nothing."

Musa struck out.

" _Complexion smear, wart adhere!"_ Musa gasped at the sight of the wart that appeared on Icy's cheek. Not only was it humongous it was horribly gory as well.

Icy was livid and her eyes flashed with barely controlled rage. Musa gulped and took a step back.

"How dare you?" Icy hissed tightly.

Stormy leaned closer to get a glimpse of the wart. "That has to be the single most disgusting wart ever," she said sounding half disgusted and half reverent.

Icy shoved her away with a growl and fixed her glare back on Musa.

"I warned you," Musa gasped. "I told you to leave me alone."

" _Goodbye wart, gross and gory, return my beauty to its former glory,"_ Icy gritted out and the wart vanished with a faint pop.

Every instinct in Musa's body was telling her to run but she knew she wouldn't get more than two steps before Icy attacked so she stayed where she was and stood her ground.

"What should I do with this low-life pixie? Show her some respect?"

"Teach her a lesson," Stormy agreed with a cackle.

"Yeah, yeah, you're good at trash talking. Why don't you shut up and show me what you got?"

Icy wasn't fazed and her eyes glittered dangerously, like razor sharp shards of ice. "I plan to, little pixie. The entire Cloud Tower senior class is here and I'm going to make an example of you so every Alfea loser knows exactly what happens to a pixie who disrespects me."

Musa glanced around and gulped. Unbeknownst to her, the teenaged witches from inside the cafe had quietly assembled outside, caging her in. Only Riven and Darcy were missing. Still Musa didn't let her fear show.

"What's wrong, Icy? Need back up to fight me?"

Icy smirked but for once didn't rise to the bait. She merely raised her hands where blue light was beginning to form at her palms. Musa eyed the crowd and found a small gap in the witches, perfect for her to slip through. _Now,_ it was time to run.

* * *

Stella's insults had returned in full assault by the time the guys were due to arrive and they were waiting on the quad.

"Flora," she sniffed, looking over her friend. "Do you own anything more 21st century?"

Flora narrowed her eyes but didn't snap back, knowing it wasn't really her friend talking. Instead she just sighed longsufferingly and watched the distant woods passively.

"Listen, when the guys get here," Stella continued. "Play it cool, like the only reason we called them because we needed a ride."

"That is why we called them," Tecna said sounding bored and not even bothering to look up from her phone.

"Right," Stella said, eyes raking over Tecna's usual tracksuit set. She opened her mouth, no doubt to unleash another biting comment but the arrival of the Red Fountain aircraft interrupted her. The ramp lowered and the girls all turned to greet the guys.

"I'd ask if there were any damsels in distress in need of a ride," Sky said, stepping onto the quad. He took in the unimpressed faces of his female friends and grinned. "But you girls don't need our help."

"Too right," Stella said proudly, but she was smiling at the brunette.

Tecna caught the smile and rolled her eyes. "Stella, please remember our goal here is to find Musa and not socialise."

"Hey Tecna," Timmy said, joining his friend and Tecna blushed a brilliant scarlet much to the amusement of her friends.

"Uh, hi Timmy," she mumbled, suddenly finding her phone much more interesting.

Brandon was the last to join them but he did so with a slight smile, blonde hair shining in the sun and tied back in it's usual small ponytail at the base of his neck. "Hey there," he said, eyes on Bloom alone. "What's up?"

Bloom suddenly found her mouth dry and her palms slick with sweat. She wiped them off on her jeans and tried to force her brain to function.

"Uh, um," she said, lost for a moment in Brandon's dark eyes. Musa, she thought. Something about Musa. "Musa headed to Magix City and we need a ride so we can find her."

"We think she's downtown somewhere," Flora added.

Sky's face clouded over. "The Cloud Tower witches hang out downtown on Saturday afternoons."

"Yeah," Timmy added. "They hold their dark arts and crafts meetings at the Hex Cafe."

The girls paled.

"Damn," Bloom cursed. "How quick can you get us there."

"Depends on the traffic," Brandon said checking the time on his phone. "But not too long hopefully. Hop in. You can fill us in on the rest on the way."

They all hurried back onto the ship and within moments they were strapped in and lifting off.

* * *

Meanwhile back in Magix City Musa was hurtling down the streets of the city, a large group of witches right on her heels and gaining fast. Unfortunately for her, the residents of Magix had long since gotten used to seeing minor skirmishes between students of Alfea and Cloud Tower and would rarely got involved unless it turned dangerous.

"Get lost," she tried yelling over her shoulder, weaving through the residents of the city.

A roar of cackling answered Musa and she gritted her teeth and ran faster.

"I heard that she likes to dance," one witch said snidely and Musa resisted the urge to turn around and tell her she much preferred to sing, choosing instead to conserve air. "So let's make her dance."

Musa's heart sunk as she realised the implications of the words and a quick fleeting glance over her shoulder told her all she needed to know. The first energy ball missed her as she began to zig zag but another clipped her shoulder tearing at her skin and she felt another make contact with her ankle, singing her jeans and making the skin underneath sting. Her muscles burned and protested as she forced them harder and ran erratically to avoid any more hits.

She dashed around another corner and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw it was much more crowded than the last. It would force her to move slower but it also meant the witches could no longer use their magic and risk hitting a citizen, not if they didn't want retaliation.

Musa was still jogging on and looking over her shoulder when she ran into a warm, solid chest. Strong arms steadied her before releasing her like they been burned by her touch. She blinked blearily up through her fringe to meet Riven's cold violet eyes. Musa whipped around to see the witches advancing like wolves and spun back to Riven.

"You have to help me," she pleaded.

"I'm with Darcy now," Riven said simply, voice cold.

If Musa wasn't so flustered by the approaching witches she might have noticed the blank look in Riven's eyes or the odd note in his voice, or even remembered that Riven was most likely deep under Darcy's spell. But as it was all she could see was his betrayal and her hand came up hard and fast to crack across his face. Riven sucked in a shocked gasp but Musa didn't hang around to hear what he had to say and took off again.

"You're a real bastard, you know," she spat over her shoulder as she went.

The crowd thinned the further she pressed on before disappearing completely leaving Musa alone as she sprinted along the streets of Magix. She skidded around another corner and realised too late that it was a dead end. She could hear the witches approaching and knew she wouldn't have time to run. Before she could try an invisibility spell however the witches arrived at the mouth of the street, slowing when they saw they had the fairy trapped. Stormy, Icy and Darcy pushed their way to the front of the group while Musa considered her options.

As if reading her mind, Icy smirked and said, "Too late, no spell can help you now."

"Yeah," Darcy continued. "I heard you were spying on me and my guy? Time for you to learn some manners, little pixie. It's not nice to eavesdrop!"

Before any of the witches could attack however something disturbed the air in the street, stirring up the leaves and dirt on the ground and whipping it around. Shielding her face from the grit Musa glanced up to see a familiar Red Fountain craft hovering above them. It began to lower into the street between Musa and the witches, forcing the witches to scatter and reassemble elsewhere to avoid being squished. The Trix snarled as the lowering ramp revealed a familiar group of fairies and heroes.

"Need some backup?" Bloom's voice called and Musa could have wept in relief.

"A little," she called back weakly and hurried to join them, stomach loosening as she realised she was no longer alone. They were still outnumbered horrendously but at least she wasn't alone.

Icy sneered but didn't comment. She didn't need to as Riven appeared with the witches pushing his way through to stand with the Trix.

"Brandon," he snarled, eyes glaring daggers at his squadmates.

Brandon lifted an eyebrow but didn't display Riven's level of anger. "You're hanging with this crowd now?" he simply asked.

"Yeah," Riven snapped. "This crowd had my back like you never did." Riven pulled his phanto-blade hilt from his belt and clicked the blade out.

Brandon scoffed and pulled his own blade out. Sky and Timmy followed suit. "If that's how you want to play it." Despite his cool demeanour it was Brandon who ran at Riven first, not willing to let Riven have the first move.

"Bring it," Riven shot back, running to meet him.

The sword fight was terrible and beautiful to watch. They moved with the grace of dancers, parrying and blocking each other's strikes before countering with their own moves. Their blades met with faint zaps as the charged material reacted with each other, glowing and reflecting the fury in their master's eyes.

The others didn't get the chance to watch their fight for long because the witches burst into action, all running at the fairies and specialists except for the Trix who just smirked and watched.

The girls steeled themselves for the oncoming barrage but the witches didn't get very far before Sky leapt into action, bringing his powerful broadsword down and slamming it into the cement to form a phanto-shield that spanned the width of the street. Sky chuckled at the looks of disbelief on their faces and rejoined his friends.

No one was laughing for long though as the street suddenly dropped in temperature and ice began to form on the shop fronts. The specialists were protected by their uniforms but the girls rubbed at the exposed skin. The source was of course Icy who was furious with the poor effort put in by the other senior witches.

"That was pathetic," she hissed, dangerous blue magic appearing at her palms.

"Icy!?" one of the witches whined, hugging her arms around her.

"It's cold," another said looking to Stormy and Darcy for help.

But Stormy was similarly furious. "I'm with you, Icy! _Electric Rage!"_ She thrust her hands upwards and two lightning strikes shot from her palms and into the air, forming a darkly dangerous cloud above them all.

"Uh, girls," Bloom said, eyeing the cloud warily. "Do you think it's maybe time…"

"Yeah, I'd say so," Stella said, eyes also on the sky.

They didn't waste any time transforming, their street clothes disappearing only to be replaced with their fairy forms, glittering mini-skirts and tops and their wings on their backs. By then Sky's phanto-shield had faded and there was nothing to protect them as the Trix advanced, looking murderous.

"I find this whole ordeal quite shocking," Stormy growled and in the blink of an eye had shot a lightning bolt straight at Tecna, blasting her back onto the ground where she lay unconscious. The girls gasped at the speed with which Stormy had struck, reminding them all over again how much of a disadvantage they were at, being only freshmen.

Timmy was by her side in an instant, leaning over her and checking her pulse. "She'll be okay," he called and the girls breathed out in relief.

They left him to take care of her and focussed on the witches. Off to the side Brandon and Riven were still battling, a whirl of blue and purple blades which clashed unnervingly. Flora and Bloom shot into the sky to battle Stormy, leaving Musa and Stella to take on Icy and Darcy.

Icy struck next, sending a wall of ice shards at Stella, forcing her to fly into the air to avoid them. She swerved left and then right before ducking behind a nearby car for cover.

Icy's smirk was cold and cruel. " _Incendium,"_ she said with a twitch of her fingers and the car burst into flames.

"No," Stella shrieked and Musa and Sky were forced to watch on in horror at the car disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Musa darted forward to help her friend but Darcy teleported in front of her, blocking her way. Musa growled in frustration but didn't have a chance to try and get around her before she was forced to dodge bursts of magic. The first two missed but finally the third hit and threw her to the ground painfully.

While Musa was still recovering and Sky was busy holding back witches with his blade Darcy smirked and made clones of herself until Musa was surrounded by Darcy replicas. All eight of them raised their hands, preparing to attack but a well aimed throw of Sky's boomerang had them disappearing and the real Darcy crumpling to the floor.

But saving Musa had cost him dearly and the other senior witches blasted him with his magic sending him skidding across the cement until he lay next to Musa. She grimaced.

"Thanks for the save."

"Don't mention it," he grunted, pulling himself up. "You get Stella, I'll handle these witches." He ran back into the fray while Musa darted across the street.

Up in the air Bloom, Flora, and Stormy circled each other striking and dodging.

" _Voltage slap!"_ Stormy cried, sending a sharp lightning bolt at Bloom who leapt to the side. Unbeknownst to her, Flora had been hovering behind her and was shot out of the sky. She fell with a cry and landed on the road with a horrible sounding thud.

"Flora!" Bloom called, feeling sick.

"I'm good," Flora called back softly, but Bloom didn't like how weak her voice sounded or the sound she'd made when she'd landed. But she couldn't check on her friend yet, not with Stormy still in the sky with her.

Bloom focussed her energy and threw a fireball at Stormy, grunting when the witch flew out of the way. Stormy sent back her own attack and sounded similarly aggravated when it also missed Bloom. This time when Bloom shot her fireball it made contact, singing Stormy's skirt.

"Argh," Stormy grunted, running her fingers over the fabric. "That was my favourite skirt," she snarled, fixing her angry gaze back on the red headed fairy, who knew she was in trouble by the flat line of Stormy's lips and the way something dark flickered in her eyes. True enough, the cloud that had been hanging ominously over their heads suddenly grew and a wind picked up making it hard for Bloom to stay in the air.

Down on the ground, Timmy had managed to drag Tecna's still unconscious body out of the middle of the fight and into the shadows of the ship's ramp. She was lightly stirring as the battle raged on around her and Timmy glanced between her prone body the battle.

"Hey Tec," he said, shaking her shoulder gently. "You're going to be all right."

A low voice spoke, "Sorry, but I don't think she is."

Timmy's head snapped up and he stared up at the cold, unforgiving face of Icy. His hand darted towards his belt where his gun was but Icy was faster, ice shooting from her fingertips and freezing his feet, slowly creeping up his body. He yelled out at the shock and pain of it, hoping anyone heard and would come to his aid.

Musa who'd found Stella trapped between the smouldering car and the wall heard his yell along with Stella. They glanced at each other, Stella leaning heavily on her friend and they both nodded. Stella was hurt but she didn't have the luxury of sitting out, not if her friends needed her. Squaring her shoulders and setting her jaw, she shot into the air despite how much it hurt and exhausted her.

Musa was about to follow her when Darcy appeared, knocking her backwards. She'd recovered from Sky's attack apparently and was even more pissed off than usual. Before Musa could attack first Darcy was clicking her fingers and the cars around them suddenly animated, lights turning on and rising into the air.

"This is a fun game," she growled as the cars rose into the air and began to circle Musa. "I call it crash-test fairy."

Realising what Darcy meant Musa's stomach dropped and she knew she had to get out of there before Darcy got bored with playing with her and attacked. The cars began to circle faster and faster and Musa watched waiting for the right time. She tried to slip through a gap between two cars but they were moving too fast and she collided with one painfully and was thrown backwards. She tried again, failed, but this time she hit much harder and was knocked unconscious.

"I win," Darcy cackled, bringing her the cars together to hover over Musa's splayed figure threateningly.

No one had noticed her dilemma; Brandon still had his hands full with Riven, Sky was surrounded by witches, Flora was lying dazed on the ground while Bloom battled Stormy above her and Tecna was slowly being frozen along with Timmy while Stella flew to their rescue.

"Hang in there, Tecna," Timmy murmured to a groaning Tecna before turning to Icy. "Back off already."

"Please," Icy scoffed and rolled her eyes. She doubled the intensity of the attack and the speed at which the ice was covering Timmy and Tecna. But then Stella was flying into the attack and creating a shield to divert the ice shards. Icy narrowed her eyes as her attack was thwarted and redoubled her efforts.

Bloom however above had finally notice Musa and Darcy who was beginning to bring the cars down and shot forward to help. It didn't matter to her that that meant walking away from the fight with Stormy. She'd take the blow to her ego if it meant helping her friend.

Unfortunately it looked like Stormy wasn't about to let her walk away. She zoomed in front of Bloom, stopping her from getting to her friend who was getting closer to being squished with every passing moment.

"Move!" Bloom growled. But it didn't seem to matter which was she turned or twisted, Stormy was always there to stop her and the more worried Bloom got, the more frustrated she got, and the more frustrated she got, the sloppier her flying became.

Bloom had thought she'd felt rage before. But up there in the sky with Stormy blocking her from helping her friend Bloom felt it. It was this coursing fury that started in the trembling of her hands and writhed through her until it felt like her whole being was being lit up with the fire of her anger. She didn't notice the way the skin glowed, or the way everyone had stopped to look at her, or even when Stormy shouted something about crystals. All she could focus on was the complete and utter fury that was coursing through her until it burst from her consuming the entire city for a moment.

In the street the witches screamed and shied away from the pure magic that coursed down on them and even Bloom's friends had to turn away from it, painful to look at.

"What is that?" Brandon yelled over the roaring of Bloom's magic.

The Trix were thrown from the sky by the force of the power and landed with painful grunts in the middle of the street. They picked themselves up quickly and along with the other witches and Riven they quickly fled, fear reflecting in their eyes.

"I've never seen a power like that before," Sky said, shielding his eyes as the light slowly dimmed. "What do you reckon it is?"

"No clue," Brandon murmured back, eyes intent on Bloom's form still up in the sky.

Now that the witches had gone the rage slowly left Bloom and the light coming from within her died along with it. She drifted down to the ground but the moment her feet touched the ground all energy left her and it was a fight just to stay conscious. Bloom collapsed to first her knees then her side, noticing absently that all along the alleyway windows were being opened and angry faces were appearing to yell at them.

Hands, warm, strong, and big were on her in the next minute, turning her over, shaking her shoulder, then lifting her up and cradling her against a broad chest but she was too weak to answer their call. She felt too safe in those hands to fight the bliss of sleep.

* * *

The girls and the specialists left the alley as soon as they were allowed. Bloom's display had caught more than a few residents attention and the Magix City police had been called. After telling their story with the aid of a little truth-telling potion they'd been allowed to go back to school, promising they'd try to stay out of trouble and away from the witches of Cloud Tower.

The injuries, thankfully were minimal. Cuts, scrapes, and bruises were plentiful but anything more serious was limited; Stella had sustained burns from the car to her shoulders where her top had exposed her skin but they were healing nicely thanks to some balm the guys had on the ship. Flora and Tecna had both sustained concussions when they'd fallen but Brandon had checked them over and thought they should be all right. For Bloom it was just exhaustion, plain and simple. She'd slept right through the police's thorough interrogation and half the flight back to Alfea and even when she woke up she was still drained.

Brandon left her lying on the bed in the small infirmary of the ship, promising to whip her up something that would have her in fighting shape in no time. He returned with a glass of a earthy smelling potion and offered it to her.

"It's hero's brew," he explained when she sniffed it experimentally. "We take it when we need to regain our strength quickly.

Bloom took a sip, then quickly drank the rest already feeling the potion taking the edge of her exhaustion. She sat up slowly with Brandon's help and stretched out all her limbs, groaning quietly at all the aches and pains she felt.

When she glance up it was to see Brandon looking at her strangely. He opened his mouth, as if to say something before abruptly closing it again and looking away.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

But he simply shook his head with a smile. "Nothing. Now how do you feel?" he asked before Bloom could press any further.

"A lot better," she told him, no longer suffering from the weary exhaustion and the aches on her body slowly subsiding.

"You'll be back to yourself by the time we get back to Alfea," Brandon mused. "Do you want to stay here or… ?"

"Nah, I'll come out with you."

With Brandon's arm secure around her waist the pair walked slowly back into the main room, Bloom sinking into the nearest chair and closing her eyes, tired from the short trip.

Stella eyed Brandon who hovered over her, making sure she was all right.

"Awww," she crooned sarcastically. "Such loving care."

Flora nudged her friend. "Come on, Stella."

"Let me guess," Sky grinned, glancing away from the monitors he was manning for a second. "That's the spell you mentioned."

"Yep," Musa said, watching Stella warily.

Stella had apologised for all the things she'd said once they'd been back in the air and heading for Alfea but things were still a bit raw between the five friends. Some of the things Stella had said while tactless hadn't necessarily been untrue and they were still accepting that some things were out in the air between them.

"What happened to you back there, Bloom," Timmy asked, changing the subject. He was flying the aircraft but with the autopilot system he could relax a little.

Bloom shrugged, struggling to remember the details. "I just remember getting really mad and then just letting all this energy out."

Tecna was typing furiously at her hand-held computer. "Well, I've done some preliminary research," she said, surprising no one. "And I have to say the power Bloom exhibited today was much higher than a normal fairy of her age."

Bloom blinked blearily. "What does that mean."

"I'll have to do some more research, it could be several things, an evolution of your powers, something about the origin of your powers, I don't know."

"Whatever it was, I reckon she deserves a big, loud shout out 'cause that was pretty awesome," Musa said.

Stella rolled her eyes. "I'm shouting out to her to put on lipstick, get rid of the jeans, and put on a skirt instead."

Musa sighed and tipped her head back against the seat. "Does anyone happen to know how long these mood swing spells can last?"

"Musa," Stella cut in, eyeing her outfit with distaste. "That one-shoulder look is so last year."

Musa's lips flattened into a line. "Yo girl, mood swing spell or not, you're wearing my patience real thin, so you better just chill. And if she doesn't," Musa continued pointedly when it looked like Stella would argue. "I suggest we all slap her with a good, strong _oppositus_ spell."

"Oh yeah," Stella said jumping to her feet and planting her hands on her hips. "Just try it, I dare you."

Musa regarded her friend tiredly. "I'd rather not but if you keep pushing…"

"Look," Stella sniffed. "I happen to be a Princess and I'm sorry but I expect to be treated as one. I can't be treated like an average non-Princess," she continued glancing at her non-royal friends. Then her eyes fell on Bloom. "Or an Earth girl."

Bloom groaned. "Don't start with me again."

"Earth is like so ewww-"

Behind Stella, Flora smiled suddenly and raised her hands. " _Verbosis-oppositus."_

The spell took effect immediately and the bad mood drained away instantly. "Errr- amazing and beautiful and it's great and so are you!" she finished. While the others laughed at her abrupt change in tune Stella continued looking at her other friends. "And Tecna you're just so awesome! Flora, you're the best and Musa, I love you!"

At Cloud Tower the senior witches were arriving back feeling sore but not defeated.

"I almost broke a nail out there," Stormy was whining, looking at her flawless nails.

"I can't believe we got beaten by a freshman," Darcy continued. "I hope it doesn't ruin our rep."

"It doesn't matter," Icy declared. "Not even one bit because I think I just figured out who has the Dragon Power."

The other two turned to her with wide eyes, sucking in shocked gasps. The question went unspoken between them. And Icy answered only with a smile.

"No," Darcy said, realising what Icy meant. "Not her!"

"Yes," Icy said triumphantly. "And now that we know exactly where the Dragon Power is, it'll be like taking candy from a fairy."

* * *

Faragonda watched the girls arrive back at Alfea from her office window which overlooked the main quad. A knock sounded at the door pulling her from her reverie and she returned to her desk, calling for the person on the other side of the door to come in.

"Miss Faragonda?" Barbatea asked cautiously as she stepped inside the office, closing the door behind her. She sunk into one of the seats before the large desk, looking exhausted. "I've checked all the enchantments in the library and everything looks to be in order."

"Very well," Faragonda said. "You may reopen the library."

"Thank you headmistress." Barbatea made to rise but Faragonda held out a hand, asking her to wait.

"Did you find anymore books about the last witch coven?"

Barbatea nodded. "Several that should not have been part of our collection. I was wondering if you'd like me to get rid of them."

Faragonda frowned before deciding it was too dangerous. Books like that were usually one of a kind and while they were dangerous to have around, it would be worse if they fell into the wrong hands.

"Move them to the highest security section of the restricted vault and check the enchantments every few days. I don't want that information falling into the wrong hands. One other thing: if Bloom ever tries to find out more about Daphne, the last Princess of Sparx or her time as a Nymph of the Magical Dimension I want to be alerted immediately."

Barbatea nodded at the odd request and stood hesitantly when it was clear she was dismissed. "Miss Faragonda… is there anything the staff should be worried about?"

Faragonda swallowed thickly but forced a smile. "Just being cautious, Miss Barbatea."

* * *

 **Hey guys :) I'm curious about you guys, what's your favorite season? Personally I love season 1 and 2. Anyway I hope you guys liked the chapter, let me know what you thought.**


	11. Chapter 11

Exams were officially upon Alfea, and there wasn't a single student in the entire school that was happy about it. For the Freshman's the exams kickstarted with a bang Monday morning with a gruelling two hour history paper on the First Dimension War, complete with multiple choice, short answers, and an extended response, in which Bloom was sure she'd made absolutely no sense. The history paper was followed by a combined theory and practical exam in potions, practical skills assessments in both Physical Defence and Flying, and an oral assessment in Metamorphosis where they each had ten minutes to discuss the advantages as well as the dangers of human transformations. By the time Thursday afternoon rolled around, the girls were exhausted but thankful that they had but one exam left, Magical Reality, which was to take place the following afternoon.

Magical Reality had started out as a mysterious subject; as Palladium had promised in the first week, they had the class rarely, only twice a week, during which they were taught how to use the skills from their combined classes in real world situations. Unfortunately, as they quickly found out, this was not nearly as exciting as it sounded. Mostly because up until the exam it had been all theoretical work, using textbooks and suggested strategies to outline what they would do in any given scenario. That was all about to change, however, as their exam tomorrow was to be their first practical experience.

Four of the five friends were discussing this down on the Alfea quad, while the fifth, a certain red-haired fairy, lounged at the wishing fountain that made up the central feature of the quad, staring into it's cool, blue depths. In her pocket, Bloom's phone burnt a reminder against her leg, but she resisted the urge to pull it out and read the message that she'd already read countless times. Instead she fingered a gold vlosi coin and thought hard on her wish with all her might.

"Bloom," Stella called suddenly, startling Bloom.

Bloom thought of her wish again and flicked the coin into the fountain, watching it sink to join countless others.

"Ooh," Stella cooed, coming to join her friend on the edge of the fountain. The other three were close behind her. "What did you wish for?"

"I can't tell you," Bloom laughed incredulously. "If I do, it won't come true."

Stella grinned wickedly. "Does it have blonde hair, and blue eyes?"

Bloom hoped desperately that she wasn't blushing, but Musa's next words unfortunately proved that she was.

"From the look on her face, I'm betting it does!"

"Bloom!" Flora sing-songed, her, Musa, and Stella all looking eager while Tecna was watching them curiously.

Bloom had been acting oddly all day, first getting a strange text message at breakfast, which she'd kept carefully hidden from the rest of them, and then seemed glued to her phone for the rest of the day, looking at it before, after, and even during classes.

"Well," Bloom said slyly. "Brandon asked if I wanted to go for a walk tonight, around Red Fountain, 'just the two of us'. What do you think that means?"

Musa chuckled, taking over for Flora and Stella who looked overwhelmed by it all. "I don't know what going on a walk with a boy means on Earth, B. But in my realm when your crush asks you out, we usually call it a date."

Stella seemed to recover and was shaking her head briskly while Bloom blushed deeper and hurriedly said that she _did not_ have a crush on Brandon. "Well, she can't go." Bloom gaped at her and Stella explained, "He asked you less than 72 hours in advance," as if that was reason enough to decline.

Flora seemed to disagree. "Oh, Stella, he's just being spontaneous. Liliana and I first met at a party and within half an hour we were ditching it to go on our first date at a nearby coffee place."

"While that is very cute," Tecna began, seemingly finally able to contribute to the subject. "I'm afraid I have to agree with Stella. Spontaneity is overrated, and advanced planning is a sign of respect."

"And pretending to have a busy social calendar is a sign of self-respect," Stella said, nodding importantly. "Besides what kind of date is going for a walk? It totally limits one's choice of outfit and footwear."

But Bloom had lost interest and was staring into the fountain again. "It doesn't matter," she sighed dreamily. "I want to go."

"Oooh," Musa cooed. "Girl's got it bad."

"Got what bad?" Tecna asked, sounding concerned for her friend's health.

"The love bug," Stella cackled.

Tecna rolled her eyes while Bloom just about squawked, protesting that no way was she in love with Brandon.

"No matter," Tecna said. "Obviously Bloom didn't hear a word we were saying."

"Huh?" Bloom said, proving Tecna's point and making the other three laugh.

"We were talking about how Palladium has offered to meet with the class this afternoon to go over what to expect in the test and show us the chamber," Tecna said.

"Are you guys planning to go?" Bloom asked.

"We'd be stupid not to, I guess," Musa said, tugging at a pigtail thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Flora agreed, suddenly looking worried. "We know next to nothing about what the test will be on, and it will be our first time doing practical for the subject. Every little bit of advice will help."

Tecna glanced at her watch. "In that case, we should start moving. Palladium will be expecting us in five minutes and we have to get to the top of the tower." She nodded at one of the towers and the others glanced towards it.

"Hey, that's where we have assembly," Bloom said, recalling the large ampipheter big enough to hold the entire school.

"Yeah, the chamber is the floor above it, right at the top," Stella explained, as they started walking toward the base of the tower.

"I've heard horror stories about this place," Musa said, sounding slightly nervous as they started the long climb, many other students from their class ahead of and behind them.

"Don't be nervous," Stella said breezily. "They call it 'Magical Reality' but they wouldn't llet us die or anything."

Oddly enough that didn't really comfort the girls.

"Hey," Tecna said, something occurring to her. "You were here last year, Stella. Couldn't you tell us what the test is going to be on?"

Stella shook her head sympathetically. "Sorry, darlings, but it changes every year to stop the freshmen from getting too much preparation. Last year we had to fight off some low level witches and counteract a dark spell placed on a Prince."

The group finally reached the top of the tower, after a leg-burning long climb. They followed the trail of classmates up the last flight of stairs from the amphitheater and into a tiny, artificially lit room. There were no windows in the room but nevertheless was glowing from both lights in the ceiling and from the computers that sat on a bench spanning an entire wall. Above the computers was a large window looking into the actual chamber, but the it was dark and they couldn't make out any details.

Palladium was standing in front of the computers, surveying them as they assembled, nodding his head and looking around as if he were counting them. Finally, as a few final stragglers hurried in, he smiled and glanced around once more.

"I think that might be everyone."

True enough when the students glanced around it was to see the entire class had assembled, no one - not even the slackers of the class - had risked not coming and missing vital information that might help pass the exam.

"I'm sure you must be wondering quite a bit about this place. Well, this is it. This is the control room and _this…"_ Palladium tapped a few buttons on the computer looking much more in his element than he had out in the forest, or even in the classroom giving a lecture. A few more taps at the keyboard and the room beyond the window lit up, giving the students their first glimpse of the notorious chamber. "... is the Magical Reality Chamber."

The class immediately surged forward, those at the back pushing to get a better view while those at the front tried to hold their ground.

Palladium yelped and held up his hands. "Now, now girls, no need to push. You'll all be allowed a better look at the chamber in a moment."

The professor hurried to a door beside the window and opened it, standing back to allow the class to file into the chamber. The chamber was much larger than any of them had realised; the class stepped out onto a wide ledge that wound right around the circular room, the chamber extending many metres above and below the ledge. Metallic panels covered the walls, reflecting the girls' reflections over and over in dozens of bronze replica's and the room was lit by the natural light filtering through the windows on the ceiling. Directly opposite the control room, jutting out from the ledge, was a large catwalk that seemed to hang unsuspended without the aid of supports.

While the class oohed and ahhed over the grand chamber, Palladium talked about the chamber further, "This chamber is the delicate product of the most powerful magic and the most sophisticated technology. The two combine to create just the right mix of magical energy and technological power in order to produce hundreds of virtual worlds, and situations.

"So," Stella said, running her fingers over the walls. "Theoretically you could create a virtual situation where there's no exam?" She fixed Palladium with a pleading smile while the class chuckled.

"Theoretically yes," Palladium replied. "Or I could create a situation where the test lasts forever."

The laughter ended abruptly, the possibility too horrible to consider. Palladium ushered them back into the control room while he continued to talk about the exam.

"While you're in the chamber, the world may be virtual, but the reality is not; meaning, when it is cold, you will really feel cold, and if a rock falls and hits you, believe me you will feel it. While we will of course never let any real harm come to any of you, the chamber is designed to test you, and will ultimately separate the Guardian fairies from the rest."

"Help me study?" Stella murmured pleadingly to Tecna as they gathered around the computers. "Tonight?"

"Sure," Tecna murmured back easily. "Don't I always?" Tecna had a point; in the weeks leading up to the exams, she'd been diligent in assisting her dorm-mate's to study by insisting on assigned quiet times, and drawing them all up study time-tables.

"From this room, I will be able to oversee everything that occurs in the chamber. This year your exam is a survival test; the chamber will randomly select a dead planet for you. It will then place you on a virtual version of this planet's surface where you will have to survive in extremely desolate conditions. Any questions?"

Flora frowned and raised her hand. "Professor, I don't believe there is such thing as a dead planet," she said when he called on her. Sensing his confusion she continued, "I prefer to think of them as planets that are in need. They just need a little love."

Palladium looked thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head slightly. "That is very interesting, Flora, but perhaps you should bring it up in philosophy class, and focus on the exam for now," he advised kindly.

Flora nodded. "First step: grow some plants," she told her friends in an undertone.

Stella looked worried for a moment before her face smoothed over. "Easy, I'll just bring the family gardener," she said with a shrug.

Unsure whether she was joking or not, Bloom said, "You can't bring anyone with you."

Stella looked perplexed. "Survive without a staff?"

Bloom coughed and tried not to laugh at the worry evident on her friend's face and was saved having to break the news to Stella by Palladium concluding his speech.

"You may bring potion ingredients but nothing else. You will have to rely solely on your Winx to survive. Now, we will begin straight after lunch tomorrow and last until dinner time. The quicker you assemble here the quicker we can get started. Even so the test with last half an hour for each of you, so we will only be able to get through half of you tomorrow. We will reassemble on Saturday morning to do the rest. Now off you go and study hard tonight."

The class trooped out of the tower, many complaining about losing an entire Friday afternoon as well as a Saturday morning. Stella however had more pressing matters on her mind.

" _If_ you insist on accepting Brandon's invitation at least let me help you get ready so we can knock that boy's socks off and show him what our girl will be expecting next time he asks you out."

Bloom's immediate urge was to remind Stella that Brandon hadn't actually used the word 'date' and gently refuse her offer - she had, after all, had had successful relationships in the past - but something held her back. It was true Stella looked amazing every day, and Bloom had never seen the girl have so much as a single hair out of place let alone a bad hair day. Besides something inside her wanted everything about this night to go perfectly.

"Okay," Bloom relented. "But," she continued firmly. "No going overboard. I still want to look like me."

Stella looked put out but nodded her agreement all the same. "Say no more, Bloom, I'll handle everything. Now, what time are you meeting, lover boy?"

Bloom shot her friend a unimpressed glare at Brandon's moniker but didn't comment. "I was thinking of grabbing an early dinner and then hopping the 7pm bus to Red Fountain. That gives us two hours before curfew."

The other girls were nodding in approval but Stella was busy checking her phone for the time, and yelping when she realised how late in the afternoon it was.

"But it's already 4:30," she just about screeched. "That only gives us an hour and a half before you have to be having dinner and we won't have much time afterwards."

While Bloom was puzzling over what she could possible be doing to take an hour and a half to get ready, Stella seized her wrist and start tugging her quickly in the direction of the dorm, yelling over her shoulder for the others to hurry because she was going to need all hands on deck.

And she was right.

The second they got to the dorm, Stella just about shoved Bloom into the shower, yelling for her to be quick and wash her hair. Even over the sound of the water and through the soap in her ears Bloom could hear her barking orders at the others and the scrape as she moved things about in her room. Bloom washed quickly and stepped out into a waiting bathrobe.

"Quickly, Bloom," Stella called impatiently from the other side of the door and as soon as Bloom opened the door bustled her into her room where the others were waiting in her walk-in wardrobe.

Stella all but pushed Bloom into a waiting salon-style chair and she was left to wonder where Stella could have possibly gotten it while the others were put to work. Tecna was in charge of her hair and quickly got to work with the hairdryer, Musa was bent over her face touching up her eyebrows, while Flora was tasked with filing her nails into perfect ovals. Stella meanwhile was flipping through the numerous hangers that lined the walls, looking for the perfect date outfit.

"I don't want to look overdressed," Bloom reminded Stella, as the blonde considered a mini-dress. "I don't even know if he thinks this is a real date, and it's only a walk anyway."

Stella wrinkled her nose, as though she didn't think that was any reason not to go full-out but conceded with a nod and kept looking.

"Also remember she'll be outside," Tecna called over the roar of the hair-dryer. "It's not going to be as warm tonight."

"How about this?" Stella asked, holding up a pretty, floral maxi dress.

"Maybe," Flora said, tilting her head consideringly.

"Nah," Musa said.

"Too summery," Bloom agreed.

Stella hummed thoughtfully and twisted her Solarian Ring. "So maybe pants?"

"How about those black jeans you wore the other day," Musa said distractedly, attacking Bloom's brows viciously with the tweezers. "They just had a couple of rips in them and studs on the pocket."

"Oooh yes," Stella said, remembering. "They look great on you." She hurried quickly from the room to retrieve them.

Tecna, meanwhile had finished drying Bloom's hair and clicked off the dryer, picking the straightener up next. Flora moved from one hand to the other, and Musa apparently finally satisfied with the state of Bloom's eyebrows, stepped back with a nod.

"Ok, so now a top to go with it," Stella said, reappearing.

She rifled through her clothes for a few moments, holding out a couple of options which were each vetoed for being either too revealing for a first date, too dressy for a walk, or too hard to wear a bra with, and as Bloom said firmly, she was not going braless with her chest size.

Finally Stella pulled a top from the rack, considered it for a moment before turning to show the others, receiving approval from all around. The top was a pretty royal blue, cut short so it would play peek-a-boo with Bloom's belly button, and despite the thin straps, the cut allowed Bloom to wear her strapless bra underneath.

"You've got such a beautiful hour-glass shape, Bloom, you really should accentuate it more. And if you wear ankle boots with this, I'll think you'll be the perfect blend of casual and gorgeous." The other nodded in agreement.

The next hour passed in a flurry of chatter, hair straightening courtesy of Tecna, nails being done with a simple clear coat by Flora and Musa, and makeup by Stella. Through it all, they kept her carefully turned away from the mirror as per Stella's instruction, who apparently planning a big reveal at the end. Bloom would have rolled her eyes at the theatrics of it all but was beginning to get excited herself.

Stella watched her like a hawk all through a quick dinner, making sure she didn't do anything to ruin her hair or makeup. In record time they were all finished eating and heading back up to the dorm with just under a half hour for Bloom to get changed and touch-ups before the bus came.

Back in the dorm she was hustled back into the chair, Stella in front of her to fix any smudges in her makeup, while Flora did something to her hair. And then suddenly all that was left to do was spray a few drops of perfume and get changed, the others filing out of the wardrobe to give her privacy. Bloom wriggled into her jeans, pulled on the top, and slipped into the black boots, the heel so small they wouldn't hurt her feet while she walked. Bloom rubbed her hands over her thighs and wished there was a mirror still in the wardrobe before taking a deep breath and walking out to show her friends.

For a long minute after she appeared, her friends could only gape at her, then quietly Stella said, "Damn I'm good."

"Well?" Bloom asked, quirking an eyebrow and fighting the urge to cross her arms over her chest.

"Look for yourself," Stella said, gesturing to a nearby mirror.

Bloom had to admit that damn Stella _was_ good. She was the perfect blend of casual with her jeans and ankle boots, while still looking like she had made an effort. The top revealed the slightest strip of creamy white skin at her waist that she usually kept covered by her baggy t-shirts. Flora had added a few subtle curls to her hair so it fell in casual waves over her shoulders and Stella, who thought a school day was an occasion for false eyelashes had kept her makeup light and subtle. All in all she looked-

"Beautiful," Flora sighed, joining her in the mirror.

"Boy's not going to know what hit him," Musa agreed, coming to stand on her other side.

"Here," Stella said, pushing a small bag into her hands. "Now move it, girl," she said, slapping Bloom's butt to get her moving. "Bus'll be here in ten minutes."

* * *

Bloom wasn't the only Alfea fairy on the bus who got off at the Red Fountain stop but she was the most casually dressed. She was also the only one who didn't throw herself at one of the Red Fountain guys waiting, she realised as she came to a stop before Brandon with an awkward wave.

"Hey, you look nice," Brandon said, eyes sweeping over her, briefly enough to still be respectful.

"Thanks. You're not looking too bad yourself," she replied.

Brandon had traded his usual uniform and cape for a more casual look of jeans and a nice shirt that did wonderful things for his arms and chest. Bloom felt herself blush and quickly glanced away and in doing so realised there was a leash looped around his wrist and a honey coloured dog attached to that leash.

"Hey, who's this?" Bloom asked with a grin and squatted before the dog, receiving a wet nose thrust into her hands as a reward.

" _This_ is Lady," Brandon said. "I got her as a kid and we've sort of been inseparable ever since."

"Bet that makes Sky pretty jealous," Bloom teased. "I always wanted a dog," she continued after a moment, scratching behind Lady's ear and making her eyes droop with pleasure.

"She likes you," Brandon grinned.

After a moment they realised they were still surrounded by couples locked in passionate embraces and after sharing an embarrassed look they quickly headed away from the bus stop and towards impressive Red Fountain castle. Where Alfea was a large sprawling campus with large courtyards and quads, the buildings far-reaching but only a few stories high, the Red Fountain campus was the opposite, positively towering over Bloom and Brandon with its multiple stories, towers, and turrets.

While Brandon lead her around, pointing out the different features of the school, the pair lapsed into conversation about the most obvious topic they had in common: school.

"School's a lot better this year," Brandon was telling Bloom.

"Oh yeah?" she asked. "Why's that?"

"Well, we're finally up to all the exciting stuff in class, real missions, and I actually got to ride a dragon today."

Bloom made an impressed noise, trying to picture Brandon atop a dragon.

"Besides, you know, it was also great meeting you. And your friends," Brandon added hastily. "Timmy and Sky are great, but it's been nice to have an even bigger group of friends. What about you. How's Alfea going?"

"Oh, it's great. So different, you know? And we've had midterms all this week. One left tomorrow."

"Eugh," Brandon said emphatically. "They're no fun. What have you got left?" Lady strained at the leash so sniff all along the walkway. Brandon leaned down to unclip her and found a stick she could play fetch with.

"Uh," Bloom sighed, raking a hand through her hair. "Magical reality?"

"No way! I've heard about that one. Do you feel ready?"

Bloom gave a tight laugh. "Uh, not really?"

"Man, now I feel bad about dragging you away from studying."

"Don't," Bloom said, laying a hand on Brandon's arm. "I wanted to be here."

They shared a long, loaded look.

"I want to show you something," Brandon said after a moment.

Brandon lead her further along the walkway, up and up through the castle until they had reached the top story, round the back of the castle.

"This is my favourite place."

"It's… nice," Bloom said politely.

In reality the place looked a bit deserted, the sandstone looked like it could do with a good clean, and there were leaves and grit coating the ground. Brandon chuckled at the blatant lie, nudged her, and nodded out to the view she'd missed.

"Oh wow," Bloom breathed, eyes widening at the beautiful sight laid out before her. The setting sun painted the sky with shades of orange, red, pink, and gold. The sight was only made even more breathtaking by the sparkling surface of the lake below it which glimmered like thousands of shards of diamond. Bloom leaned an elbow on the railing unable to tear her eyes away from the sky. "You know I'd really like to paint this."

"I didn't know you were into painting," Brandon said, leaning against the railing so he could see Bloom's face.

"Yeah. I mean I just do it for fun."

"You'll have to show me some of your stuff sometime."

And even though Bloom almost never showed her work to anyone, let alone a guy she maybe-sort-of-liked, Bloom found herself saying "Yeah sure."

Neither of them had any idea that they had been followed the entire time by their former-friend, Riven. When the conversation turned to unimportant things like Bloom painting, Riven decided he wouldn't learn anything else and turned away to relay what he had heard to Darcy. Ever since they'd met, and Riven had decided to side with the Trix he and Darcy had been able to communicate telepathically; he wasn't sure what else the spell allowed Darcy to do, but she'd told him not to worry about it, so oddly, he hadn't.

Riven touched his index fingers from each hand to his temple as Darcy had told him and waited for the psychic connection to establish. It didn't take long, as usual,and as usual was completely disorienting. He clenched his eyes shut and Darcy appeared before him looking impatient.

" _Well?"_ she snapped.

"The test's tomorrow. She'll play right into your hands."

A slow, cruel smile unfurled across Darcy's face. " _Perfect."_

* * *

"You want me to get on that thing?" Bloom asked dubiously, staring at Brandon's leva-bike like she expected it to bite her. It was one thing, she reasoned, to watch Brandon ride the semi-dangerous bike, it was a whole other to hop on behind him.

They'd spent an enjoyable evening together, talking and watching the sunset while Lady snuffled around their ankles until they were disappointed to find that they had to get going if they were going to get Bloom to Alfea, and Brandon back to Red Fountain again before the curfew barriers came down. Hence why Bloom was standing before the leva-bike, shivering in the breeze while Brandon tried to coax her on.

"Here," Brandon said, shrugging out of his leather jacket. He helped Bloom put it on, it's weight and warmth an instant comfort to her. "You wear this. And put this on," he added, brushing back her hair and settling a spare helmet on her head. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?" he said firmly, meeting Bloom's eyes through the open visor.

Wondering why she was agreeing to this, Bloom sighed and nodded. Brandon grinned, flipped the visor down, and helped her onto the bike before swinging on in front of her.

"Now, hands tight around my waist," he instructed, catching a hold of her hands and guiding them to wrap around him. Being plastered against Brandon's back did nothing to calm Bloom's thundering heartbeat, nor did it help that she could feel his rock-hard abdominals through his t-shirt.

The bike purred to life beneath them, surprising Bloom. She'd half-expected to be loud like a motorbike back on earth but this bike was sleek and quiet, thrumming with contained energy.

"Ready?"

Bloom nodded mutely and squeezed her eyes shut. They pulled away slowly at first but before long they started to gain speed, the wind screaming past them and whipping at Bloom's hair.

"Are you alright," Brandon yelled back to her.

And strangely enough she was. She'd opened her eyes and it was both surreal and thrilling to watch the forest go whizzing past without the usual protection of a car around her. She could tell Brandon was purposefully keeping the bike as steady and straight as possible, and for that she was grateful; this was hair-raising enough for her, for now.

"Yeah," she called back, laughing. "Oh my god, this is insane." Bloom felt more than heard Brandon laugh, feeling the vibrations under her hands.

Too soon they were arriving back at Alfea, Bloom unwinding her body from Brandon's and half-falling off the bike. Brandon leaned against the bike, watching her as she freed herself from the helmet.

"So you liked that?" he asked, after she tucked the helmet under her arm.

"It was amazing," she said, laughing slightly in amazement. "I never thought I'd willingly get on a bike but I'm so happy I did."

"Well, I'm glad," Brandon said. "Maybe one day you'll ride by yourself."

"Oh no," Bloom chuckled. "I am quite happy riding with you, thank you," she said firmly, and shifted closer to offer the helmet back to him.

"Oh yeah?" Brandon asked, abruptly standing straighter, putting them face-to-face. "Just me?" he continued, voice dropping.

Bloom swallowed thickly, eyes betraying her and dropping to glance at Brandon's lips. "Well, I wouldn't get on a bike with someone I didn't trust, would I?" She realised distantly, that they'd slowly been migrating closer to each other and now stood only a few inches from each other.

"So you trust me?" Brandon murmured, his eyes darting between Bloom's eyes and lower to her lips. He shifted even closer, until they could the gentle puff of each other's breaths on their faces.

"Uh huh," Bloom heard herself answer, too intoxicated by Brandon's presence to come up with a better response. There was barely an inch separating them now and yet Brandon still hesitated, eyes unsure like he wasn't sure his advances would be welcomed, so Bloom closed the final distance between them herself, lips just brushing his when a familiar and faintly amused voice interrupted them.

"Barrier's coming down in fifteen minutes."

Bloom and Brandon jumped apart guilty, like two teenagers caught making out on the couch, faces mirror red. In her surprise Bloom dropped the helmet. Professor Callas merely looked amused, though not surprised as he wandered past, evidently on patrol.

"You have to be back in your room in fifteen minutes, Bloom," Callas reminded her.

Bloom swallowed, mouth dry, and ran a shaking hand through her hair, feeling disoriented. "Right, Sir. Will do."

Callas nodded, satisfied and wandered on to remind more couples further along. Brandon meanwhile scooped up the helmet from the ground and tucked it away in a compartment in his bike. He turned back to her his own helmet already in his hands.

"So I had a lot of fun tonight," he offered.

"Yeah, so did I," Bloom agreed. "And I was thinking we could maybe do this again."

Brandon grinned, looking relieved. "I'd like that."

Biting her lip, Bloom glanced over her shoulder where other girls were slowly starting to make their way inside the gates. "I should probably go in. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Bloom."

Bloom smiled one last time and turned to go, hearing the bike thrum to life behind her. At the gate she glanced back to find Brandon still sitting there, watching her go. He raised his hand in farewell, pulled the helmet on over his blonde hair, before driving off, Bloom waving after him. It was only then that Bloom realised that she still wore his leather jacket and he hadn't asked for it back.

She stood there for a moment longer, even after he turned the corner out of sight, leaning against the archway, and pressing her warm cheek to the cool sandstone, only able to breathe a single word, "Wow."

* * *

Unfortunately, across the lake trouble was brewing for Bloom, in the form of three senior witches. The Trix were huddled together in their dorm room, refining their plan to get the Dragon Flame from Bloom with minimal effort.

"I sent Knut out for the _coriandum-verbosum,"_ she said, stirring a ladle through a dark grey potion bubbling in her cauldron. "He better not be too much longer, half an hour more and this will be worthless and we'll have to start from scratch."

" _This_ is supposed to help us project into Alfea?" Stormy asked, eyeing the lumps in the potion with distaste. "Are you sure you brewed it right?"

"Who's the best at potions here?" Darcy snapped, cheeks pink from both the flame and embarrassment. "I followed the recipe to the letter. Pass me the book."

Stormy shrugged and handed over the ancient potion book they'd swiped from the library. Darcy irritably wiped away some dust from the page before reading snootily, " _Lumps are to be expected, even after adding the_ Acidicine, _and will disappear with stirring. If worried, add one to two more drops of_ Acidicine."

"Well then let's add another drop of _Acidicine,_ " Stormy huffed and yanked the stopper from the vial, dropping another drop of the clear liquid into the potion. Sure enough with another few passes of Darcy's ladle, the potion began to smooth out. Stormy still didn't seemed satisfied however. "I don't like the colour still," she remarked, wrinkling her nose. "The potion's supposed to make us 'lighter than air', you'd think the colour would be a bit lighter."

"That's what the _coriandum-verbosum_ is for," Darcy hissed.

"Would you two quit bickering," Icy hollered from below them, where she was sprawled on her bed, not helping. "And get down here." As if sensing Darcy was about to argue, she continued, snapping, "The potion will be fine for five minutes, Darcy. God you're like a mother-troll with her babies."

Bristling at the analogy, Darcy rose and stomped down the stairs, Stormy on her heels. "I'd just prefer for all my hard work not be for nothing. Potion-making is a very subtle art."

"Oh, shut up." Icy rolled her eyes and waved them over. "Are your crystals ready?" she demanded.

"Obviously," Stormy groused. "All that's left is finish the potion and then we'll be ready to crash the test tomorrow. The only problem will be if she doesn't unleash the power."

"Oh, we'll make her unleash it," Icy said knowingly, grinning cruelly as she thought of all the things she could do to anger the fairy.

"If we can't do a simple thing like that then we don't deserve to be called witches," Darcy smirked.

Knut burst into the room before they could say anything else, bringing with him the familiar stench of ogre. The witches wrinkled their noses automatically.

"Sorry, I'm late. I couldn't find any fresh _coriandum-verbosum_ anywhere. It's out of season, you know?"

"So what did you get then," Icy snapped. "And I swear on the pits of Valhalla that if you came back empty-handed I'll turn you into a toads and use you in my next potion."

"I got freeze-dried," Knut grunted nervously, hunching his broad shoulders as though he could shrink. "Will that work? It's top quality stuff," he added quickly, when the Trix simply glared at him venomously. "Imported from Linphea, you know how they are with their plants."

"It'll have to do," Darcy said icily, snatching the little packets from him before stalking back upstairs, Icy and Stormy on her heels.

Darcy dropped to her knees before the cauldron and wasted no time measuring out the leaves and adding them to the potion. Almost instantly the colour change to a reflective silver, the consistency thinning and changing until it seemed to float in the cauldron, suspended somewhere between liquid and gas states. Darcy couldn't help shooting Stormy a triumphant look.

"How long will it last?" Icy asked, watching Darcy ladle the potion out into glasses.

"24 hours."

"But what if Bloom doesn't get called in the first day," Stormy frowned. "The test goes for two days."

The Trix frowned in thought before Darcy shrugged.

"The computer picks the order, right? So I'll just slip in tonight and make sure it picks Bloom first. And while I'm in there I'll mess with it a little bit to make sure no one can interfere while we're there."

"Brilliant," Icy complimented, making Darcy preen. "Then we'll steal the power from the pixie brat and no one will be able to stop us," she cackled, the other two quickly joining in.

* * *

It was hard for the freshmans to concentrate on classes the next day with their final and most demanding midterm looming over them. Bloom had fit a solid hour of study in between curfew and light's out last night but she still woke early, and brought books to read through at breakfast and even in between classes. And she wasn't the only one frantically studying either. Lunchtime especially was fraught with tension with many freshman ignoring their food in favour of reading through their textbooks one more time. Ten minutes before the bell was scheduled to go Bloom realised with a flash of irritation that she'd left her backpack up in the dorm.

"I have to run up to the dorm for something," Bloom told the others as she stood. "If I'm not back, go without me and I'll catch up."

She hurried off to the dorms before the others could argue. Because she technically wasn't supposed to be in her dorm during lunch, Bloom ran quickly and quietly, surreptitiously glancing around corners in case any teachers were around.

Finally she burst into her dorm, heading straight for her desk, where her backpack was waiting for her. Strewn across the desk were the books she'd been studying from the night before; figuring she had the time she paged through one of them, wanting to brush up on a protection spell before she left.

At last she found it under the heading ' _General Protection Spells'_ written in elegant script. The one she wanted was fairly simple, requiring no use of ancient languages, nor complicated actions, promised to protect her from dangerous situations and was easy enough to remember: 'Say this once, say this twice, cast the spell and all will be well'.

Bloom frowned, wondering if she actually had to say the spell twice for it to take effect or if that was just the wording; she searched the section for any additional instructions like some of the other spells had but came up empty. Her phone beeped in her pocket, distracting her.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Good luck with your test today. You're going to do great._

Smiling, Bloom tapped out an answer.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Thanks! Just heading over now._

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Got my finger's crossed for you._

Almost immediately a second message from him appeared.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Timmy and Sky want it known that they too are crossing their fingers for you and the other girls._ _**Bloom:**_ _Tell them thanks from us. I'll make sure to pass it along to the other girls._

Bloom caught sight of the time and realised that she was running out of time so she quickly typed out another message.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Gotta go now, or I'll be late._

She made sure to put the phone away in her desk, not wanting to get in trouble for having it with her in the exam before snagging her backpack off the floor - unaware that Kiko had crawled inside to take a nap - and hurried off.

* * *

"Good afternoon, class!" Professor Palladium chirped, seeming to the class much too excited considering how nervous they all were feeling. "I trust you're all sufficiently ready to take your midterm."

"I don't feel ready," Musa muttered to her friends, despite the many hours she'd spent preparing for the exam.

"I've forgotten what I studied," Flora said, looking worried.

"I just hope I don't have to go first," Bloom said, shifting nervously.

"I think it might be better to go first." Stella looked thoughtful. "That way you can get it over with and it's off your mind."

"Off you go then," Bloom said only half-joking.

Palladium cleared his throat over the din of anxious whispers. "Now, remember this is magical reality not make-believe, so be careful and stay vigilant." The whispers only seemed to increase at this.

"Hey, it's cool," Musa said, trying to remain calm. "Worse comes to worst, something goes wrong, and Palladium presses the emergency button."

"Can he press it now," Stella said, nerves starting to creep into her voice.

"I figured since this is your first exam of the kind, you would all want to watch, but as we progress, feel free to move down to the amphitheater below if you have already completed your test or would like some space to prepare yourself. Okay girls, the computer will now select the first student and then the dead planet they will have to survive." Palladium pressed a few buttons on the computer and it whirred obediently for a few seconds before black writing started to scrawl across the screen: _Bloom Peters - Barhaine._ Palladium turned sympathetic eyes on Bloom who felt her stomach swoop uncomfortably.

"Looks like, Bloom, you're up first. I can give you some information on Barhaine, if you'd like." At Bloom's eager nod, he began to read from the computer, "' _Barhaine, originally inhabited by the hardy Barhanian people, experiences cold temperatures year round, with particularly freezing winters. The rocky terrain on Barhaine made growing crops particularly difficult but was made much worse by a ten-year civil war, after which the surviving people had to abandon the planet to seek refuge in neighbouring realms.'_ That's all I can give you, Bloom," Palladium said apologetically. "What potion ingredients are you going to bring along?"

"I've got the survival kit we got in lab class."

"Excellent. Are you ready? Or would you like a few more moments."

"No, I'm ready to go now," Bloom said, trying to inject some confidence into her voice for her own sake. On either side of her Stella and Flora grabbed her hands in support, and while Palladium went to open the heavy chamber door her friends bestowed upon her their best advice.

"Stay cool," Musa told her.

"Be careful," Fora added.

"Make us look good," Stella said, throwing in a dazzling smile for good measure.

"Be logical," Tecna said, cool as ever.

Beside Bloom, Stella scoffed. "Tec!" she exclaimed. "What kind of advice is that?"

Tecna looked affronted, "The only logical kind, naturally."

"The chamber's ready," Palladium called to Bloom.

She sent her friends a grateful smile. "See you later, girls."

Palladium seemed more anxious than Bloom was, watching her carefully as she walked to the door. "Now remember you can't leave the chamber until the test time is up but I will be watching and listening at all times and if anything starts to go wrong I can shut down the program."

"I'm sure nothing will go wrong," Bloom assured him.

"That's the spirit. Good luck, Bloom."

Bloom murmured her thanks and with a deep breath, walked into the brightly lit chamber, stomach jolting when she heard the heavy door shut behind her. It felt completely different being in the chamber all alone; it seemed suddenly monstrous in size, completely dwarfing her in size. Bloom had to take several calming breaths before her heart stopped thudding and her head cleared enough to remember the instructions Palladium had given them.

Bloom hurried around the ledge and walked out onto the platform as Palladium had told them to do, very aware that the class was watching her through the large window. Standing near the edge of the platform, she waited for the program to begin.

Palladium's voice came suddenly through the intercom, surprising her, "This will be my last communication with you, Bloom. Once the environment is set, you'll be on your own."

Bloom nodded shakily and tried not to tremble as the chamber started to hum around her, obviously powering up. The lights grew brighter until they blinded Bloom and she couldn't make out any of her surroundings. Then to her horror, she realised the platform beneath her was moving, withdrawing into the ledge, but rather than take her with it, she continued to hang suspended in mid air. Figuring this was the delicate blend of magic and technology Palladium had talked about she tried to stay as still as possible. The light's were still blinding but she could hear the shift of things moving and had the stomach-churning feeling that her environment was changing around her. All of a sudden the light's receded and then there was nothing.

Well, there was rocky dirt beneath her feet, a sky thick with smog, and a bracing temperature but there was no more chamber, no more Palladium, and certainly no more classmates. Bloom was well and truly on her own, as Palladium had warned her. It was perplexing knowing that Palladium and her class were watching her, but she couldn't see them. The bleak environment stretched out endlessly in every direction and for a few moments Bloom could only turn in circles and shiver.

Then oddly enough Tecna's advice came back to her and she started thinking logically. Although she only was going to be here for half an hour, Bloom knew she was being marked on showing skills to survive for an indefinite period of time. And that meant first up she would need a food source.

Kneeling on the uncomfortable ground, Bloom slipped her backpack from her shoulders and unzipped it, only to find Kiko snoozing inside. With an exclamation Bloom slid a hand under the bunny and lifted him out.

"Kiko?"

Kiko blinked awake and wriggled his nose at her. Frowning, she put him on the ground, leaving him to explore the new terrain and looked around, wondering if she was going to get in trouble for this.

"I didn't know he was in there, Sir," she called out.

No voice answered her, and she wasn't returned to the chamber so Bloom figured it was okay and went back to rummaging in her backpack. She pulled out a handful of seed packets and began rummaging through them, trying to remember what her potions teacher had told her.

"Alright, let's get some _eco-totalis_ plants going," she said, speaking to Kiko out of habit, selecting the packets and depositing the rest back in her bag. _Eco-totalis_ plants were good, she remembered, because the leaves could be eaten raw or cooked, contained all the nutrients a person needed to survive, and the plants thrived in even the toughest climates, making them perfect for a developing planet.

Bloom got to work digging out some shallow holes for the seeds which proved tougher than expected because as Palladium had told her the ground was indeed very rocky but eventually she got a line of holes dug. She scattered the seeds in the holes and pushed the soil back over them.

"Alright," she said. "Now all they need is a little bit of Winx and a spell." Bloom held out her hands, already starting to glow faintly, and concentrated hard. " _Grow up acceleradum."_

Obediently little green shoots pushed up out of the dirt and Bloom felt a flutter of satisfaction in her chest. She thought she understood now why Flora was always so nuts about plants; it felt nice to bring something living into the world.

"Come on, little sprouts," she encouraged, sending a little more winx their way. The plants continued to grow, some of them even starting to sprout leaves and satisfied Bloom sat back to observe her handiwork. She would check on them later, she decided, maybe grow them a little more then.

In the meantime she had other things to do. She'd just stood, brushed off her dirty hands, and was deciding that she would put up a few protective enchantments, and maybe a warming spell if she could manage it, when she heard the woosh of magic behind her.

She spun around, expecting some monster or ghoul to battle but instead was faced with three familiar looking witches.

"Look, she's doing so well," Icy sneered.

"What are you doing here?" Bloom asked, hating how small her voice sound. "You're not supposed to be part of my test," she said, sounding stronger, even as she wondered if they possibly could be. She doubted however that she would have to face witches in a survival test, after all there were no witches on dead planets. Bloom casted a desperate look to the sky but Palladium didn't interfere; it seemed she really was on her own.

"We're here to give you an extra-credit question," Darcy taunted.

"Yeah, can you survive this?" Stormy growled.

Together they raised their hands and blasted an energy ball at Bloom. She managed to dodge Stormy's one which was crackling with dangerous lightning, but she wasn't quick enough to get out of the way of Darcy's. Bloom didn't understand how Darcy could use physical attacks since her magic was rooted in the vulnerabilities and dangers of the mind, but her energy left a scorching burn on Bloom's arm nevertheless.

Bloom cast a quick glance at her arm; the burn didn't look too bad, though it was throbbing. She looked over at Kiko, but the bunny had curled back asleep in her backpack. That settled, Bloom was ready to get down to business and deal with Trix.

"I've beat you witches in reality, I'll beat you here too," Bloom told them and without any further ado she transformed into her fairy form.

Bloom hovered in the air, while the Trix remained unmoved several feet from her, both parties seeming to dare each other to make the next move. Knowing that getting the Trix angry would be the best way to get them off balance, Bloom began to taunt them.

"If I'd known you'd be here, I would have reviewed chapter 8: fungus removal spells." She followed up the taught with a quick fireball at Darcy, payback for the burn on her arm.

Apparently taken aback by the speed of Bloom's attack, the flames quickly enveloped Darcy, sweeping her off her feet. The fire cleared quickly and while Darcy appeared unscathed, she remained lying on the ground stunned, the breath knocked out of her.

"Quit playing around Darcy," Icy snapped and Darcy was quick to jump to her feet.

Stormy, meanwhile flicked a lightning strike at Bloom but it was easy enough to dodge. She sent more fireballs back at the Trix, hitting them sometimes but they seemed unconcerned. They continued like that for several more minutes trading attacks but the Trix's attacks lacked power behind them and Bloom's seemed unable to hurt them.

Bloom wondered for the first time how it was they were there in the chamber, and realised that if they were projecting themselves, and not there corporeally then she might not be able to defeat them. She hoped that wasn't the case and that wherever Palladium was that he was working to get her out.

Icy fired another ice shard at her but the attack didn't even graze her, though the Trix watched her expectantly, almost as if they didn't want to hurt her at all. It was like they were waiting for something, but Bloom had no idea what.

"This isn't working," Bloom heard Icy snap at the other two and wondered what the hell was going on.

"Alright," Darcy replied. "Time to step it up a notch. This one affects her physically and mentally."

Darcy thrust her hand into the air and piercing tones echoed on command, tearing at Bloom's eardrums. She cried out in pain and clapped her hands over her ears even as the spell tossed her a few feet. Bloom landed hard and rolled, the touch ground ripping her skin. Groaning, Bloom tried to pick herself up, but her mind was fighting her every step of the way made ony harder by freezing rain beating down on her courtesy of Icy.

 _It's too hard,_ a quiet, unfamiliar voice whispered in her head. _Just give up._ Bloom slipped in the mud, and just lay there panting hard.

A dark, creeping presence twisted through her mind, slipping through her memories and worming it's way into every crevice of her mind. Shuddering at the intrusion, Bloom screwed up her eyes and curled into a ball.

Unbidden, hers parent's face rose in her mind. _Did you actually think they could ever love you?_ The voice was back, sounding meaner. _You're not even their flesh and blood. You're just someone else's cast-off's._

"No," Bloom moaned and there was a sharp stinging in her scalp. Distantly she realised she was pulling her own hair, but try as she might she couldn't force herself to stop.

Faragonda's face appeared but when she opened her mouth it wasn't her voice that spoke but that quiet voice that lurked in her mind. _You're a useless fairy, Bloom. You should just go back home, go be normal again._

"But I don't want to be normal," she tried to say but all that came out was a strangled noise.

Faragonda's face was suddenly replaced by her friends, the horrible voice accompanying them. _Why would they ever want to be friends with you? You're plain. You're boring. You're nothing._

Bloom groaned, realising what the voice was doing: it was sneaking through her mind, finding each of her darkest insecurities and putting them on display for her to see. But knowing what the spell was doing did nothing to help her fight back against it. Especially when her friend's were replaced in turn by Brandon's smiling face.

 _You actually thought he was interested in_ you? The voice laughed meanly, making Bloom shudder and try to twist away. But it was part of her now, entwined so deeply with her mind that they never could be seperated. _You're not confident or powerful like Stella._ _You're not cool like Musa. Or smart like Tecna. Or kind like Flora. You're nothing. You are_ _ **NOTHING**_ _!_ The last word was a screech, echoing over and over and before her Brandon's smile faded, twisted in disgust, and with a shake of his head he turned and walked away, never looking back.

Bloom couldn't see anything, she couldn't feel anything, and hysterically she thought, this exam is going to kill me. She was actually going to die from an exam, lying in the mud, while a voice whispered over and over that she was nothing.

"No!" The scream tore from Bloom's throat, brutally painful. "No," she repeated, slamming her hands into the voice. "No, no, no," she screamed, shoving at the snarling voice until finally it was out and her head was her own again.

The sight of her hands splayed in the mud, covered in dirt and blood from slamming them into the earth might have been the most beautiful sight, Bloom had ever laid her eyes on. If only because she could actually see them. Breathing like she'd just run a marathon, Bloom rolled on her back, not caring about the mud seeping into her hair or the rain falling in her face, just relieved that it was over.

Except it wasn't because appearing out of the gloom was Stormy, mouth twisted cruelly and hand raised ready to attack.

"You're gonna flunk this test and get kicked out," Stormy snarled viciously but Bloom only blinked up at her. Stormy looked like she was waiting for Bloom to cower at her feet, but after that horrible voice infecting her mind, Stormy didn't seem anywhere near as scary.

Bloom licked her lips and swallowed roughly. "Yeah?" she asked, her voice hoarse. She wondered if she had been screaming.

Stormy looked thrown by the lack of fear in Bloom's voice, which was perfect, because she didn't see Bloom's fireball coming. Vaulting to her feet as soon as Stormy was out of the way, Bloom was acutely aware of every place her body ached. But she pushed that away and focussed on the Trix. But there were only two of them she realised too late, an ice attack hitting her from behind.

Bloom tumbled from the air, ice encasing her legs and the boulder sized chunk hit the ground, anchoring her in spot even as her wings fluttered desperately. Around her the Trix made stupid comments about her apparent lack of a future but Bloom was too busy struggling with the ice to pay them any attention. She tried heating the ice but the chunk was too big and it would take too long to melt and she didn't know any bigger fire spells. She was contemplating blasting chunks of the ice away when Stormy's next words brought her up short.

"If you even make it out of here in one piece."

Bloom looked up through her filthy, tangled hair to see a crack in the earth heading straight for her. The Trix might not scare her anymore but that certainly did; with her legs trapped she wouldn't be able to fly away and falling to her death was a distinct possibility.

She struggled harder with the ice as the crack raced toward her. Where the ground opened up, lava appeared which seemed infinitely worse; falling was one thing but boiling alive in lava? Bloom couldn't think of any fates worse. Finally she looked up at the Trix desperately. "Please," she sobbed, hating herself as she did. "Please, not like this."

But the Trix only cackled.

"Aww, look how scared she is," Darcy cooed.

"Too scared to even fight back," Icy added, cruel mirth making her eyes glitter like ice chips.

Familiar white hot energy began bubbling in the pit of Bloom's stomach as her tears subsided and anger began to overtake her. "Oh yeah," she hissed, shoving out with that white energy, ice exploding from around her and raining down on the dumbstruck Trix.

Icy seemed to regain her composure quickly enough. "I'd have to rate that a C minus," she said but there was an odd note in her voice.

"You sure, Icy?" Bloom snarled, barely recognising her own voice. That hot energy hadn't been abated in the slightest and continued to bubble and grow, aching to be released. "You sound a little scared, if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask you," Icy hissed, her cool good looks disappearing as her face twisted grotesquely with rage. "But," she continued, face smoothing out. "Why don't we ask your bunny?"

"Ask my bunny?" Bloom repeated, confused.

Icy nodded to the lava pits where a familiar bunny was shivering nervously on a ledge dangerously close to the boiling liquid. The anger in Bloom eased as dread overtook her.

"Kiko," she called. "Hang on, I'm coming for you."

Bloom leapt into the air, intent on her pet but Icy's words sent a chill through her.

"I just don't think you'll make it in time."

It was like she was watching in slow motion as Icy raised her palm, a simple energy ball forming and racing towards the ledge, blasting it to pieces and sending Kiko tumbling through the air. Bloom shot through the air, every lesson she'd ever had with Faylinn burning in her mind but somehow she knew, no matter how quickly she flew, she wasn't going to reach Kiko in time. Then it was like her mind cleared and all she could see was the words from her textbook: _General Protection Spells._

Desperately Bloom summoned her winx. " _Say this once, say this twice, cast this spell and all will be well!"_ And then for good measure and just in case. " _Say this once, say this twice, cast this spell and all will be well!_ No!" she screamed realising she'd lost sight of Kiko. She hovered over the bubbling lava eyes desperately seeking any sign of him but there was nothing.

Tears began to spill over her cheeks as Icy continued to taunt her and Bloom realised that the white hot heat was back, more intense than before, growing so rapidly it felt as though she was going to burn from the inside out. The Bloom realised she wasn't just burning on the inside, she was literally encased in flames, popping and crackling around her, though she felt no pain. Through tears, Bloom glared at Icy.

"You're going to regret you did that, Icy."

Bloom thought she heard Icy yell something to the other two but she didn't care. Because the rage inside her had finally reached a boiling point and something seemed to explode from Bloom, taking on a mind of its own and racing at Trix, overwhelming them. And then just like that they were gone.

Bloom fell from the sky, absolutely no energy left to slow her descent and crashed to earth, landing painfully on her knees. The world around her seemed to flicker and shift, blurring slightly in places. It made Bloom's head spin so she let her gaze drop to the floor where a familiar looking bunny was sitting.

"Kiko," she whispered through cracked lips, a small bloom of hope unfurling in her chest. She reached out just to make sure he was real but when her hand should have touched his fur, instead it just passed right through. Not-Kiko looked at her strangely, flickered, before vanishing without a trace. "What?" Bloom whispered, trying to make sense of what she'd just seen.

She looked up to find another Kiko sitting a foot away. And then another. And another. She looked around and realised she was surrounded by hundreds of Kiko's. Her head swam with the sight, their perfect robotic movements making her feel wrong.

One, however, caught her eye; there was something slightly different about that one. He seemed to move half a beat after all the others as though he hadn't quite gotten the instruction in time. And when he hopped there was something familiar about the movement.

"Kiko!"

The bunny glanced up, twitched an ear, then bounded over. This time when she went to touch him, she felt soft fur instead of empty disappointment. Bloom pulled him to her chest, the relief pouring into her so intense that she slumped over, curled up on her side and snuggling close with her bunny. She was so distracted whispering sweet nothings into his ear that she didn't notice at first the world flicker around her before dissolving, replaced with the familiar sight of the chamber.

Bloom noticed however when the door burst open and the class came flooding in, Palladium and Faragonda leading the charge. Bloom blinked at them blearily, exhaustion crashing down on her, and she wondered why they looked so worried. Away from the Trix Bloom's head felt uncomfortable and raw, as though it had been picked clean; everything from the lights to the worried chatter of the class suddenly was too much and she wanted to shut it all away. She rolled onto her back, smiling slightly at the blue sky she could see through the skylight, much more soothing than the harsh fluorescent lights. It would be alright, she decided, to just close her eyes for a few minutes.

Feet thundered towards her, and vaguely she noticed people kneeling around her but she couldn't bring herself to worry about them. Someone slapped her hand while another called her name desperately, then a shock zipped through her body, but she couldn't respond to any of them, because sleep had her in its clutches and it wasn't letting her go.

Then over the din she heard Tecna's voice, high and panicked, "Professors she really shouldn't go to sleep," and that made _her_ worried because she'd never heard Tecna anything but calm before. But it was too late, sleep had her, and it was dragging her down into the black.

* * *

The Trix slowly came to lying on the dusty floor of their dorm. Groaning, they struggled into an upright position, slumping heavily against the nearest objects.

"Man," Stormy grumbled, rubbing her head. "That pixie's power really kicked our butts."

"Who cares," Icy bit out, forcing herself to stand. "All that matters is we've got the power now." She stumbled drunkenly but remained standing. "Get up," she barked when the other two remained slumped on the floor. "I want to check the crystals."

Darcy and Stormy shot her venomous glares but stood nevertheless, wavering on their feet. Together the three witches raised their hands and began summoning their crystals. Once they appeared before them they sent them into the air to create the triangle where the power would be stored. But it was obvious immediately that something was wrong. Everything they'd read had told them that the triangle should be thrumming with the newly acquired power, but the triangle felt as hollow and empty as always.

"No!" Icy screamed, realising that the crystals had failed to capture the power. "No!" she wailed, dismissing her crystal with a furious wave of her hand. Darcy and Stormy wore mirror looks of shock as their crystals too disappeared. Icy turned her livid gaze on Darcy who still looked stunned. "Why?" she bellowed. "You told me that this would work! You promised that the power would be **mine**!" On her last word something in the dorm shattered and the room seemed to drop ten degrees instantly.

Darcy paled. "I don't know," she said, obviously trying to sound both calm and unafraid. "It should have worked." She started to inch back, heading for a thick book on her nightstand. "It might have something to do with out astral-projection. I'll work it out."

"You'd better!" Icy shrieked, seizing the closest object, a bottle of perfume and flung it at Darcy.

The bottle hit the wall above Darcy's head, and shattered on impact, liquid and glass raining down on Darcy. Eyes dark with rage fixed on Icy and the dorm seemed to tremble as power built at her fingertips. For a long moment the pair glared at each other, Stormy looking between them, and they seemed to stand the precipice of war. Then Darcy blew out a long breath, the power fading from her hands, snatched up her book, and stormed up onto the mezzanine. And Icy went back to destroying the dorm, Stormy just trying to stay firmly out of her way.

* * *

Bloom wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when she woke to the sound of voices. Her head pounded, and her body felt like it had been scraped raw. Bloom tried to open her eyes but they felt like they'd been glued together, and her mouth was dry and uncomfortable and she couldn't make herself say anything.

"... no idea how scary it was," a familiar female voice was saying. _Stella,_ a helpful part of her brain supplied. But Stella sounded funny, her voice stuffed up and blocked as though she had a cold. "She was in so much pain and we couldn't even do anything but stand and watch." Stella made an odd noise, as though she was trying to stifle a sob.

"Hey," another voice said gently, this one male but not as immediately identifiable. "It's alright. She's alright now."

"Yeah," Stella said, her voice sounding muffled.

"You look beat," the male said. "Have you had anything to eat?"

"No," Stella replied. "I didn't want to leave her. I made the others go."

"Come on," the male said, all of a sudden authoritative. "She'll be right without you for half an hour and I'm sure we can get something from the kitchen"

Stella made a noise as though she was going to argue but the male wasn't having any of it, firmly leading her out of the room.

"I'm going to go with them," another familiar voice said. "Give you some time alone with her."

A voice much closer to Bloom sighed, and said, "Thanks, man. I'll catch up with you guys later." Brandon, Bloom knew instantly feeling as though she'd know his voice anywhere. A chair beside her creaked and something warm touched her hand. Another hand, her mind supplied a few long seconds later, holding hers.

"You really scared me, you know?" Brandon continued even though Bloom couldn't respond. "I kept calling and calling and you wouldn't pick up. Then Stella called and I don't think I've been more scared in my life." Just like Stella, Brandon sounded oddly choked. There was a long beat of silence as though Brandon was collecting himself during which Bloom felt her mind start to grow heavy again. "I really regretted not kissing you last night, you know? I couldn't stop thinking about it all day; almost lost a finger in weapons training because of it."

Bloom wanted to squeeze his hand then, show some sign that she felt exactly the same way but her body remained stubbornly prone. Not to mention her thoughts were coming slower and slower and it was getting harder to concentrate on what Brandon was saying. But still she clung tightly to the last threads of consciousness so she didn't miss a word.

"I'm just going to sit with you for a little bit, okay?" She felt a soft brush of lips against the back of her hand and apparently that was enough to push her back over the edge of unconsciousness, and she gladly went, a feeling of warmth spreading in her chest.

* * *

The next time Bloom woke up there were no voices, and her eyes actually opened, although her mouth was still dry and uncomfortable. It was daytime, still early if the soft light streaming through the windows was anything to go by, and this time she was alone.

Or maybe not as alone as she thought, because there was a sudden inhale of breath from somewhere to her right, then a face, Stella's face appeared over her. But she didn't look like herself; her hair was bundled back in a careless knot, her eyes were swollen and covered in smudged makeup as though she'd slept in it (which Bloom knew Stella loathed to do), and her face was pinched with worry. Bloom gurgled something, trying to ask if her friend was all right but her throat refused to cooperate.

"Oh, here." Stella disappeared for a moment before coming back with a glass of water with a bendy straw which she fed through Bloom's dry lips.

Bloom drank from the glass greedily, the chilled water feeling like heaven on her throat. She let the straw go with a relieved sigh and Stella set it aside again. There was a scrape as Stella dragged over a chair and sat down.

Bloom cleared her throat a few times. "What happened?" she croaked.

Stella looked trouble. "You don't remember the fight with the Trix?"

Bloom lifted a hand to her head as it all came flooding back, The Trix showing up in her test, that horrible presence in her mind, trying to save Kiko. "No, I do. But what happened after that? You look awful," she said, unable to keep the accusatory note from her tone when Stella only looked at her blankly.

"Watching your best friend take on three witches while your helpless to do anything about it tends to do that to a person," Stella shot back. She sighed after a moment and rubbed her eyes. "Besides, you're not looking too crash hot yourself, girl."

Bloom held her hand up to get a look at it; last time she'd seen it, she'd been covered in cuts and caked in mud and blood. The mud and blood were still there but at least the cuts had healed. She didn't want to get a look at the rest of herself.

"So the test ended, the witches left, what happened next?"

Stella made a face. "Palladium took you straight to the infirmary, that's where we are by the way." Bloom looked around and realised she was right. She'd assumed they were back in the dorm but rather she was lying on a bed in a line of identical white beds in a large, airy, mostly white room. "Faragonda was furious, I've never seen her so angry," Stella whispered, still looking scared about it. "We essentially went into lockdown while the teachers tried to work out how they'd gotten into the chamber which is one of the most guarded parts of the castle. Everyone was confined to their dorms, except for us, we were allowed to come here."

"Where _are_ the others?"

"They went back to the dorm to crash once we were sure you were going to be alright. They stayed up all night with me."

"And what happened to the chamber. It started to get a bit weird there in the end."

"Yeah, major malfunction. Apparently the witches messed with it; it's going to be down for a while, they reckon. So you know, bright side, the test's been postponed. You're pretty popular right now," Stella grinned.

But Bloom's mouth had gone unexpectedly dry again. "Right, the test," she said, trying to play it cool. "Did Palladium say anything about me. Will I have to do it again? Or-"

Stella had a knowing smile on her face. "You passed with flying colours."

Bloom chuckled a little in relief, her head falling to the side and eyes catching on a vase of flowers on the nightstand. She glanced back at Stella, question on her lips, and her friend's smile widened.

"The boys brought them over, very early this morning. Basically as early as Faragonda would let them in." Her smile slipped slightly. "You really scared him, you know?"

"Yeah," Bloom murmured, mind catching on a hazy memory. She doesn't think she was quite awake but she remembers someone holding her hand and talking to her quietly. She shook her head to clear and focussed back on Stella. "So what now?"

"Now?" Stella heaved a heavy sigh. "Well, you have a week of bed rest as prescribed by the healer, apparently Darcy's spell really did a number on you. Then we go back to trying to figure out what the Trix want from you."

* * *

 **Hey guys, feels like it's been forever since I posted but I was busy writing the chapter where Bloom goes home which was super difficult for me for some reason. Anyway I was really happy with what I did with this chapter (though I think the pacing is a little off) and I hope you enjoyed it as well.**

 **Anyway, a question for you this update is who are your favourite canon pairings? I personally like all the canon pairings because I think they were pretty well suited for each other but I'll always have a soft spot for Bloom and Sky. Anyway let me know your answers and what you thought of the chapter in a reviw xx**


	12. Chapter 12

The sun was shining, birds were singing, and Crystal Lake - the pride and joy of Crystal Lake Gardens, centre of Magix city - was providing the perfect backdrop to the end of what had been admittedly a very good date. Stella and Sky had shared lunch together at a nice restaurant before deciding to take advantage of the unseasonably warm day and go enjoy the gardens together before winter really hit and they became inaccessible for months.

"I'm really glad we're finally doing this," Stella said abruptly, after a few minutes of companionable silence during which they observed the gently rippling lake.

Sky turned to look at her, the sunlight catching the golden brown strands in his hair and making them glow, momentarily distracting Stella. She focussed and caught a hint of a sheepish smile before he replied.

"Yeah, me too. I'm… I know I was giving you mixed signals for a while there…"

Privately Stella agreed, but Sky looked like he was collecting his thoughts so she kept that to herself.

"And things kept happening," Sky continued.

And Stella got it, she really did. It was hard to sort out your love life when every other day something was coming after you, or your squadmate was allying himself with witches.

"And…"

"And," Stella prompted gently, burning with curiosity.

"Well you're a princess."

"And you're a prince," Stella reminded him, and Sky jolted as if he really did need the reminder.

"Yeah, right, of course. But you're you. You're smart, and funny, and really passionate about the things you care about…" Sky trailed off when Stella turned quickly to look out at the lake again. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked uncertainly after a moment.

"No," she replied quickly.

Because he hadn't. He really hadn't. Stella was used to the crowd of adoring suitors, they'd been a fixture in her life ever since she'd hit puberty. And she was used to the compliments; about her mile-long legs, about her golden hair, about her permanently bikini-ready figure, about her pretty face. She just wasn't used to anyone ever looking any deeper than that. Stella glanced back at Brandon, her smile back in place.

"You didn't say anything wrong at all," she told him before stepping closer, taking his face in her hands, and kissing him.

Bloom was enjoying one of her last days of bed rest; she'd woken at a decent hour - despite the fact that it was a Saturday - so she could spend as long as she wanted in the bathroom before the others got up, had pottered around for a few hours in the morning, tidying her side of the room, and doing some homework the girls had brought her during her time away, and was just settling in for the afternoon with a good book. The dorm was relatively quiet, Tecna having disappeared to work on some project with Timmy, like she'd been doing every weekend since the minotaur attack, Musa and Flora were both studying for their Magical Reality exams, and Stella had just gotten back a few minutes ago from her date, humming happily as she did, which was how Bloom knew it had gone well.

The peaceful quiet was interrupted by a sudden, strangled yell. Then Stella's voice all but screaming, "Flora!"

Flora glanced up from her textbook, and frowned over at Bloom before going to investigate, the redhead slowly following.

"Stella?" Bloom heard Flora enquire pleasantly despite Stella's obvious aggravation.

"Flora," Stella said again, this time accompanied by an irritated sounding sigh. "Why don't you take your hippy-dippy research and go save a different planet?"

Bloom emerged from her room just in time to see Flora flinch. Flora, being the most sensitive of the group, hated it when the others argued, let alone when she was actually involved.

Still when she replied, her voice was hard, containing only the barest trace of hurt. "That's not very nice."

Bloom caught sight of the disapproving look on Flora's face and winced internally, knowing it wouldn't go down well. Bloom quickly rounded the pair so she could stand between them.

"Come on, guys," Bloom sighed. "Don't fight."

"No," Stella shot back petulantly. "She's gone too far this time."

" _You_ said it was _okay,"_ Flora snapped back.

Bloom sighed and wondered what 'it' was.

"Well, _I_ changed my _mind."_

"Okay," Bloom said quickly before the fight could devolve any further. "Stella, what's got you so upset."

"It was one thing when she turned your room into a 24 hour greenhouse, which could get us all into trouble from Griselda," Stella started angrily.

Again Bloom suppressed a wince just thinking about the current state of her room; Bloom wasn't a neat-freak by any stretch of the imagination but even she had to admit that the room currently resembled a pig-sty. The more Flora studied for her upcoming exam the more the plants multiplied it seemed, until Bloom could hardly get from the door to her bed without bumping into something green. They were just lucky Griselda, who loved springing room inspections on unsuspecting fairies, hadn't been by in a while.

"Bloom gave me permission. And it's all research for the Magical Reality exam," Flora said hotly.

"I did say I would help her study anyway I could," Bloom agreed, because she had, although at the time she hadn't realised just how much greenery that would entail. "And it is our room," Bloom reminded Stella.

"Right," Stella said, abruptly veering back on course. "It's your room, so you know, c'est la vie." Stella flapped a hand dismissively. "But then Flora asked if she could put some of her veggies in my room because I get the morning sun and I figured 'a few pots on my windowsill, where's the harm?' But no, they have completely invaded my room."

Stella stomped back over to her room, Bloom following curiously, Flora sheepishly. Bloom wasn't sure what she was expecting - a few pots on the windowsill, like Stella had said, or something closer to her own room with plants covering every bare inch of space - but whatever it was, it couldn't prepare her for the reality. Stella's room wasn't completely overrun, but still Bloom could see the damage straight away. The base of Stella's wall of windows were cluttered with numerous plants, many of whom had started using the windows as a climbing wall and were starting to grow along it towards the ceiling. What was more, many pieces of Stella's wardrobe were fitted over the plants, and their leaves were smeared with what looked like makeup. Even as they stood there they saw a vine creep out and snag what Bloom knew was an expensive lipstick, and start to draw with it on the fern next to it. Beside Bloom, Stella let out an agonised sound and turned away as if the sight physically pained her.

"Look at them," she wailed to them, even though she refused to. "They're stretching my clothes, using my make-up, and I can barely see out my window anymore."

"They adapt to their environment," Flora said guiltily. "Besides," she continued, muttering under her breath. "There's a reason they're called 'menmosa- _vain_ atosa'."

"That is my favourite dress," Stella shrieked, pointing at a scrap of silk and lace pulled over a large plant. "Bloom," she continued imploringly, turning to the redhead. "Tell her I'm not overreacting here."

Both Flora and Stella looked at her expectantly, both confident she would side with them. Bloom bit her lip, torn; she knew Flora really wanted to do well on her exam, but she could also see at least a couple of hundred vlosi's worth of damage right in front of her.

"Maybe we can fix them," she finally said, not picking a side.

"What if we can't? They're one of a kind!"

"And in the meantime," Bloom continued, ignoring Stella for the moment. "Maybe we can find a better place for the plants."

"They need sunlight," Flora said stiffly.

"Well, how about our balcony," Bloom suggested, trying to be patient. She thought that maybe this would be a lot easier, if she had siblings, but alas she had no practice mediating arguments.

"Yeah, maybe," Flora said, sounding happier. "And maybe Tecna will know a counter-spell," she added, glancing at Stella, obviously wanting them to meet some sort of compromise.

Stella looked reluctant to let go of her anger, and was still staring dolefully at her clothes but nodded. Pleased, Bloom lead the two of them across the common room to Tecna and Musa's room. Musa was on her bed, surrounded by textbooks, highlighters, and pages of notes, headphones on and blasting music, explaining why she hadn't heard the argument and come to investigate. Catching sight of the other three, Musa tugged her headphones down around her neck.

"Hey, what's happening?" Musa asked absently, highlighting a passage in her notes.

"Just looking for Tecna," Flora said, glancing around the room but Tecna was nowhere in sight. "Is she here?"

"Nah, haven't seen her since this morning," Musa said, finally giving them her attention.

Bloom clapped a hand to her forehead in sudden realisation. "Oh! I totally forgot, wasn't she going over to Red Fountain to work with Timmy."

"Oooh," Stella cooed, grinning wickedly. "Is that the kids are calling it these days?"

But Bloom ignored the innuendo because Musa was frowning slightly. "I know she was planning to, but I don't know if she ended up going. I didn't hear her leave. Why? What did you need?"

"Flora needs a spell to fix my clothes," Stella put in quickly.

"Doesn't the nocturnal ivy have restorative abilities? Musa asked.

Flora looked up from one of Tecna's books that she'd been looking through, eyes bright with an idea. "That's brilliant, Musa," she said. "And if I boil it and combine it with a couple of drops of parsley oil, the clothes should return to their original forms." She hurried over to Musa and Tecna's wardrobe. "I've been keeping the nocturnal ivy in here, since it likes the dark and this room gets the least amount of light," she explained over her shoulder as she swung open the door.

Flora turned back to the wardrobe and gave a little shriek as she saw what was waiting for her. Standing inside the wardrobe, wrapped from head to toe in vines was Tecna, looking very unimpressed and red in the face.

"Oh, dear," Flora said, while Bloom, Stella, and even Musa gaped behind her.

Tecna tried to say something but the vines across her mouth made a makeshift gag and all she could do was make a muffled, disgruntled sound. Sparks flew from Flora's fingers and the vines slithered away, releasing Tecna and leaving her to scramble out of the wardrobe, rubbing her sore wrists.

"Did you not hear me?" Tecna said furiously to Musa.

Musa shrugged, looking vaguely apologetic. "I had my headphones on."

Tecna turned her outrage on Flora. "All I wanted was the blueprints for mine and Timmy's computer and this psycho plant grabbed me."

"See what Flora is doing to our living conditions," Stella was quick to say. Bloom nudged her sharply, muttering to her that she wasn't helping. But it seemed Musa and Tecna were already firmly on Stella's side.

"That's not cool, Flo," Musa said, finally abandoning her study. "Not cool at all."

"My blueprints are gone," Tecna interrupted. "Is there any way to get them back?"

Flora paled. "Uh, get them back… not really."

"What about a spell?" Tecna asked, voice rising. It was clear to them all that she was struggling to keep her cool.

"The ivy is really good at restoring other things, but anything _it_ eats has to be caught straight away or it's pretty much gone."

Tecna's control snapped. "Great," she yelled, stomping over to her bed. "That's a month's worth of work just gone."

Flora ran a distressed hand through her hair. "I really didn't think it would grow so fast! I'm so sorry!"

"What am I supposed to tell, Timmy?" Tecna bit out. "He already thinks I blew him off. Now I have to tell him all our work is gone."

"Oh, Tecna," Flora said, eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so sorry. I really am."

But Tecna wouldn't meet her eye, and busied herself with her phone, where she was presumably texting Timmy an apology.

"It's all well and good to say sorry," Stella spoke up. "But this is our dorm and we shouldn't have to be dealing with these issues here."

Flora swallowed visibly and inhaled sharply as though she was resolving herself, before nodding. "You guys are right. I'll clear out all my plants and take it all over to Black Mud Swamp until the exam is over."

"No!" Bloom insisted vehemently. Stella, Tecna, and Musa shuffled around her but none of them agreed with her. "You can't move to the swamp."

Flora tried to smile reassuringly, but Bloom could read the hurt in her eyes. "It's fine," she insisted even as her voice wavered. "The dorm really isn't suited to all my study, I know it's a lot. Besides Professor Palladium will have the chamber up and running in no time, and then I can move back." Flora chuckled wetly. "Well, I'd better skedaddle, lot's to do, you know?" With that she hurried from the room without a backwards glance, shutting the door gently behind her.

There were a few thumps audible from the next room, the Nocturnal Ivy abruptly vanished, then they heard the door to the dorm open and close again, and then finally silence. Throughout it all the other four stared determinedly away from each other; Tecna was fiddling idly with her phone, Stella was steadily ripping one of her nails to shreds, and Musa was 'reading' her study notes, but her eyes remained in one place the entire time.

"You guys are unbelievable," Bloom said coldly to the other three once Flora had left. "I can't believe you just let her go like that."

"There are plants everywhere, Bloom," Tecna pointed out, sounding uncomfortable.

"So what?" Bloom exclaimed. "You know how nervous she's been for this exam. She thinks because she's from Linphea that she has to ace this exam. And yeah maybe the plants and the study have been a little over the top, but we're her friends, we should be supporting her, not yelling at her."

"She said it was fine," Stella muttered, but she didn't sound too sure of herself. "And my makeup…"

"I don't care about the stupid makeup," Bloom yelled, surprising everyone including herself. "Flora is our best friend, not something you can buy more of in some store."

"We know, B," Musa sighed. "And we love Flo-"

"Could have fooled me," Bloom cut in coldly.

Musa had the decency to look scolded. "We love Flo," Musa repeated. "But this is our dorm, we have to be comfortable."

"How many hours have you all spent helping me study, or understand some spell or bit of history that I couldn't get."

"But that's different-" Tecna tried but Bloom cut across her.

"How about all the nights Musa has kept us up playing her instruments? Or when Tecna dismantles the television or the stereo looking for some part she needs? Or when Stella leaves the bathroom a mess with all her makeup and beauty products? Did we ever complain about any of that stuff?"

Tecna, Musa, and Stella ducked their heads, cheeks hot with shame.

"We're supposed to be best friends, and best friends don't kick each other out because they're _slightly_ uncomfortable. Best friends love each other despite all that stuff, and when they know their best friend is struggling with something, they do everything they can to help."

There was a long minute of silence in which Bloom just waited, puffing slightly from her rant.

"You're right," Musa finally said. Her voice sounded small, and her shoulders were hunched. She looked to Bloom reluctantly and she saw that Musa's eyes were dark with regret.

"Flora's our friend and we acted like complete bitches," Stella agreed. "We should…" she trailed off for a moment before visibly bracing herself for whatever she was going to say. "We should go down to the swamp and apologise."

The others looked at her, knowing how much she hated that swamp. Stella managed a weak smile in return.

"And ask her to come back to the dorm," Tecna added.

Bloom nodded satisfied. "That's better. Let's get going."

It seemed that even in November, with a winter chill in the air, the swamp was a warm, muggy place. As the girls waded further in, searching for their friend, they stripped off the jackets and scarves they'd piled on, fanning at their faces. Eventually, they found her with a camp already set up beside an offshoot of the lake behind Alfea, the area cluttered with a tent, small chemistry station, and many familiar-looking plants.

Flora glanced up from a row of ferns and a look of surprised crossed her face, quickly chased away by hope and relief.

"Guys?" she asked, standing and stripping off her dirt-caked gardening gloves.

Tecna stepped forward. "We behaved poorly, Flora," she said, concise as always. "And we'd like to sincerely apologise for the way we acted and hope you can forgive us."

"Yeah," Musa agreed, scuffing the toe of her sneaker in the dirt. "We acted like real bitches, Flo, and we want you to come back to the dorm."

"Can you forgive us?" Stella asked.

Flora didn't even hesitate. "Of course," she grinned and practically skipped over to throw her arms around the other girls. "And I get it," she continued, voice muffled by Musa's shoulder. "My plants were really starting to get crazy-"

"No, we overreacted," Stella jumped in quickly. " _I_ overreacted."

"Besides," Tecna said. "Bloom made some good points about our own bad habits so we had no right to get mad at you."

The five broke away, all relieved to have sorted out their fight. Stella, it seemed had other things on her mind as well however, judging by the way she looked around furtively.

"Not that I'm not glad that everything's peachy with us again but can we move this little reunion back to the castle. Where's there's less mud." Stella glanced mournfully down at her mud-splattered wedges. "And bugs," she added, slapping an offending insect away from her thigh.

Bloom suppressed the urge to remind Stella that they'd told her to wear responsible clothing and use the insect repellent Tecna had offered; she too, after all, didn't want to stay in the stinky swamp longer than was necessary.

"Can we help you carry this stuff," Bloom asked, gesturing to the plants.

But Flora bit her lip and shot them a hopeful smile. "Well, actually I was hoping to go look for a _Cheerful Gladiolus._ If you plant them they ward off nearby creatures with malicious intent," she continued quickly, when her friend's smiles started to droop. "I thought I could use it in my exam, you know as a defensive measure." When her friends still didn't say anything she went in for the kill, "I think it could really boost my marks."

A sigh travelled through her four friends as they exchanged glances. This was what best friends did for each other, after all, and so with only a little reluctance they nodded grimly.

"Ok," Musa said. "How do we get this _Cheerful Gladiolus?"_

Flora dug a book out of her backpack, and flipped it open to a marked page, flipping it around so the girl's could get a look at it. "That's where it gets tough," she explained. "There aren't many of these flowers left, and so they've gotten really skittish and won't let themselves get picked. But I'm hoping if I show the local Junior League my newest invention, they'll help us catch the flower. Check this out."

Flora beckoned them all closer and untwisted the lid of the vial. Then, with the others watching closely, Flora used the stopper to drip a single drop of the potion onto the leaf of a nearby fern. The drop glimmered on the leaf for a moment before sliding off and splashing to the ground; and where the drop landed another fern, identical to the other suddenly sprang into existence. Gasps of amazement echoed around the friends.

"I call it my vegal cloner, and with it, I'm hoping that it will convince the Junior League to let us have one of the flowers."

"It's awesome, Flora," Bloom praised, still staring at the two ferns in amazement. "Should we get going?"

"Speaking of," Stella said suddenly, as the others made to move off. "Maybe I should stay here, you know take care of Flora's stuff."

Four pairs of eyes narrowed at her dangerously.

"Get your butt moving, girl," Musa growled.

Stella pouted and sighed, but started walking with the others right behind to make sure she didn't try to sneak back to Flora's campsite.

"I just have this really bad feeling," Stella sighed, head whipping back and forth.

"Any place more than fifteen minutes away from the mall freaks you out," Musa snarked, pushing her onwards. The others trudged after them, wrinkling their noses at the stench of the swamp and trying to stay as mud free as possible.

Eventually, they all began to tire and Stella began to drop behind, wedge heels after all not being the ideal footwear for swamps. It wasn't easy to traverse the swamp, the mud stuck their feet to the ground, the sun was hot beating down on them, and it seemed no matter how much repellent they slathered on, the insects zoomed to them like bees to honey.

"Flora," Stella sighed, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. "You do know where the Junior League lives, right?"

"Of course," Flora replied patiently. She knew this was as far out of Stella's comfort zone as you could go, and Flora was beyond grateful that she was in the swamp at all. "They live in a little grove just off the main body of the lake. We're almost there," Flora promised.

"Okay," Stella panted, scraping her sweaty hair back from her face. "Oh god," she muttered, as she took another step and her foot sunk straight into a deep puddle. "Why...," she said through gritted teeth, bending down to work her foot free. "... are swamps so…" Finally the mud released its grip on her shoe and she straightened with a sigh.

"Swampy?" Musa asked, finishing Stella's half-hearted complaint.

"Not," Stella said, pointedly ignoring Musa. "That I can't handle a little swamp."

Musa gave a bark of laughter. "You couldn't handle a kiddie pool if it was in the garden of your castle."

Stella whirled on her heel, ready to let Musa have at it and tell her exactly what she could handle, but the mud was slippery beneath her, and her feet went skidding out from beneath her. She toppled over with a loud scream, and went from being completely clean, if only a little hot and bothered, to being plastered in cold mud in a matter of seconds. While Stella laid there, blinking up at the sky in shock, Musa gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. But Musa didn't stay shocked for long and was quickly fighting off laughter while the other's hurried over.

Bloom's mouth twisted at the sight of Stella, still lying soaked on the ground, as she tried not to laugh. "Oh, Stella," she tried to say sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

"No," Stella sobbed. "I'm tired, sweaty, my feet hurt, and now I'm covered in disgusting mud."

Bloom bit her lip, hard, while Musa had no such reservations and let out a loud snort of laughter. Tecna shook her head at Musa scoldingly, while Bloom and Flora each grabbed one of Stella's hands each and hauled her to her feet.

The poor blonde stood there, shivering and covered in dirt, while Bloom, Tecna, and Flora did their best to use cleaning spells to get the worst of the mud off before the sun dried. Musa meanwhile was distracted trying to control her laughter.

"Well," Tecna finally said after a few minutes. "You'll probably want a hot shower when we get back to the castle, and your hair will definitely need a wash," Tecna said, with a sympathetic glance at the blonde locks, now a dull brown. "But the worst if off now."

"Thanks Tecna, Bloom, Flora," Stella sniffed, before shooting Musa, a pointed, acidic glare.

"And good news," Flora said quickly, when it looked like a fight was going to erupt between the pair. "The Junior League's headquarters is just over there. It, like most Junior League's all over the universe, is run by the undines. Water nymph's," she added when she got a few blank looks.

Flora pointed out a small stream clustered with water lillies and what looked to Bloom like silvery-grey fish. The girls moved closer and Bloom realised that the fish weren't fish at all but little water nymphs. They had the faces and torso's of a regular human, with hair that fell in waves over their shoulders, but from the waist down they had a tail, making them look similar to the mermaids from Bloom's children's books. The same webbing that connected between the nymph's fingers also connected the nymph's wrists to torso, creating gliding type wings. Upon closer inspection Bloom saw that the nymphs weren't silver at all but were actually coloured in pale greens, blues, and purples. All in all the little nymph's were about the length of the girl's forearm.

Oblivious to their sudden audience, a small group of nymphs raced along the water, disappearing for minutes at a time under the surface before bursting up to catch the wind and gliding around their little glade, before diving back down into the water. Their delighted laughter as they played sounded like a chorus of chiming bells.

"They're so little," Bloom whispered, not wanting to disturb the nymphs yet.

"They're like little mermaids," Stella added, also in a low tone.

Bloom was distracted momentarily, wondering how she'd been at Alfea for almost four months and she'd never known there was such thing as mermaids.

"Is that their crib," Musa asked, pointing to a cluster of large bubbles visible through the surface of the lake.

"Looks like it," Tecna said, peering at the bubbles curiously.

"It's really cool," Flora told them. "Each bubble is a personal sleeping pod that houses one nymph."

Their quiet conversation was interrupted then as one of the nymphs noticed them. Most of the group didn't seem too concerned or interested by their appearance but two of the nymphs came swimming over. They folded their arms over the bank of the pond and smiled up at them, and he girls hurriedly knelt before them so they weren't towering over them.

"Hello," one of the nymphs said in a high-pitched voice. "Welcome to the Black Mud Swamp Junior League Headquarters. Are you interested in getting tickets for the Literacy for Butterflies High Tea?"

"There aren't many left, you know," the other added. "Follow us."

Before the girls could protest or explain that they weren't actually interested in purchasing tickets for the high tea, though Flora looked tempted, the nymph's swam away, cutting smoothly through the pond water, leaving the girls no choice by to follow them. The nymph's stayed close to the edge, leading the girl's around the bank and further into the grove. They came to a halt in a little alcove off the main pond, shielded from sight by a thick curtain of willow fronds. There they found a regal looking nymph sitting on a throne set into the base of a tree sitting close to the water's edge.

"Her Royal Majesty, Queen Edhelnim," the first nymph, who'd introduced herself as Mitriel, declared proudly before pulling herself out of the water to sit on a chair to the regal looking nymph's right, while her friend, Thalne, took the seat to the left.

"She's their queen," Flora murmured to the other girls as they settled cross legged on the ground across from the queen.

"Welcome to our headquarters," the queen said warmly.

"They're interested in the Literacy for Butterflies High Tea," Mitriel told her.

"Oh, this benefit will be an event to remember," she told them excitedly. "It's already predicted to be even bigger than our annual swamp tours."

"The thing is, Your Majesty, that's not really why we're here," Stella said smoothly, and Bloom was suddenly intensely grateful that at least one of their group had been taught how to speak to royals.

"Oh," the queen said, her excitement dimming. "Are you here to volunteer for our Pollywog Playground Improvement Project?"

"Actually we're here to ask if you would help us catch a _Cheerful Gladiolus."_

The queen's eyebrows rose slightly, the only indication that she was surprised. "A big request," was all she would say for a moment. "May I ask why you need one? They are very rare, you know?"

"I'd like to use it in my exam," Flora said earnestly.

"Now that's interesting," the queen said, before Flora could tell her about her vegal cloner. "Because we might need something from you. Please excuse me if this is unladylike, but please tell them Mitriel."

"Our community is in very dire straits," Mitriel said, sunny disposition melting away. "Are you any good at dealing with monsters?"

"A monster's after you guys?" Bloom asked. The girls glanced around at each other wondering how the seemingly peaceful community could possibly attract the attention of a monster. Or perhaps, Bloom reconsidered, it was _because_ they were peaceful and defenceless that a monster was coming after them.

"Yes," Mitriel said mournfully. "You see that island?" the nymph said, pointing to an island on the border of the swamp and the actual body of the lake. The small island was just visible through a haze of fog surrounding it. "That's Black Mud Island, and it's the one place in the lake that our food, the Xylith leaf grows. We had full access to the island up to a couple months ago, when a giant water creature began to attack us anytime we tried to get close."

"But why is it suddenly attacking you?" Tecna asked.

"We don't know," Thalne spoke up. "For as long as we have been here the creatures have been living in harmony. It is why we are here, it's part of our mission, we help nourish the swamp, and facilitate peace between its inhabitants. But that's all changed now."

"And we try to put up a brave front but the reality is we're in terrible trouble. When we lost access to the island we preserved all the leaves we had in our possession, but even with rationing our supplies are dangerously low."

"I haven't made this public yet," the queen said, voice lowering. "But even with our rationing, our supply of xylith leaves won't last more than two more weeks. But the nymphs know something is very wrong; just a few nights ago, a member of the league got so desperate that they snuck over there all by herself, and she hasn't returned. "I hate to impose, but perhaps in return for the _Cheerful Gladiolus,_ you could help us."

"Of course," the girls chorused together. They certainly weren't going to let the little nymphs face the monster on their own.

"I have to ask," Stella said, sounding hesitant. "Why didn't you go to Alfea for help, surely Miss Faragonda would be happy to help?"

"Oh no," the queen said firmly, while Mitriel and Thalne shook their heads. "It is the undine's responsibility to provide help and care not the other way around. When a bargain must be made, it must be an equal one, for example, the junior league ensures the safe passageway of Alfea students in the swamp, and in return Miss Faragonda uses her magic to strengthen our own protective enchantments. A fair trade," the queen repeated. "It is the only way it can be."

The fairies frowned at each other but didn't push it; the nymph's seemed particularly set in their ways on this subject and they didn't want to risk offending them.

"We'd be happy to help you, Your Majesty," Musa said.

"And in return we'll help you catch a _Cheerful Gladiolus."_

The girls scrambled to their feet, and transformed into their fairy forms. Instantly they began to shiver in the shade of the glade as the shadows fell on their exposed skin.

"Good luck," the queen said, and watched them gravely as they pushed through the curtain of willows.

As if sensing they were doing something important, the nymphs quieted as they passed, all watching as they walked to the bank of the river before, as one, surging into the air and heading for the island.

Just as the nymphs had been quiet, so were the five friends as they flew. Bloom couldn't be sure of the others, but after her last encounter with the Trix, Bloom felt different, not on edge exactly, but definitely alert, as if all her nerves were focussed on the task at hand. The magical reality test had changed her, Bloom thought as they sailed over the murky waters of the swamp, growing clearer the closer they got to the lake; before, she hadn't exactly brushed the Trix aside, but their encounters had been mild skirmishes, inconveniences, their quest for the Dragon Flame something for them to research and ponder on when life at Alfea hit a lull. But the Trix attacking her had had an effect on her, because no more was this some fun mystery, not a game she could stop playing when she grew tired of it, whatever the _this_ was, it was real for the Trix, and as she was beginning to realise, real for her and her friends. This was her life now: battles with witches, flying off to face some unknown threat, this was what she'd signed up for when she'd come to Alfea. Oddly enough this didn't unsettle her, didn't frighten her, but rather settled her, as if she'd just come to some realisation that part of her had been waiting for.

Stella's voice, sounding slightly uneasy interrupted Bloom's melancholy. "You know, girls, I was thinking. You know how the nymphs said this monster was gigantic? Well the nymphs are pretty small themselves, and even we must seem pretty big to them, so maybe this monster is really only average -sized and we could take it easily? That makes sense, doesn't it?"

She turned to her friends hopefully, but they were already staring at her, mouths agape.

"What?" she asked, put out. "You don't think I'm right?"

"Stella," Tecna whispered, staring over the blonde's head. "Don't move."

Stella frowned, thrown by their odd behaviour and it was only then that she realised the swamp had gone completely silent around them and she could no longer feel the sun, hot on her back. She whipped around before her friends could stop her and came face to face with the monster. As if triggered by her movement, the monster let out a horrific screech, opening it's mouth to reveal rows of gigantic, razor-sharp teeth. The rest of what was visible of the monster was oddly reptilian, and looked to Bloom like it could have resembled an overgrown lizard. It had brown scales, patterned intricately, and heavily lidded eyes that were a murky red. The rest of Bloom's analysis was cut off by the monster ducking back under the water, making it lap and splash at the girl's feet.

"Don't separate," Flora ordered, and the girl's obediently flew into a huddle, pressing their backs together.

It was a good strategy, Bloom thought, as the five of them scanned the still restless water for any sign or shadow in the clouded water. If they were seperated, it would be much easier for the monster to snatch one of them out of air with it's gigantic mouth. The only con, of course, was if it happened to emerge from the water directly underneath them.

Which, of course, it did.

Bloom looked down, a moment too late, and out of the corner of her eye she saw that Tecna had had the same thought as her, but neither of them had a chance to call out a warning before a large, brown head collided with their cluster, sending them all sprawling.

Her friend's echoed in her ears, while Bloom's muscles in her back and wings strained to keep her out of the water and the right way up. As soon as she got her bearings, Bloom swung back around to see that both she and Flora had been knocked behind the monster, Tecna and Stella to the sides, leaving Musa in danger directly in front of it. Musa looked disoriented in the air, shaking her head before looking side to side evidently looking for the monster, and not realising it was behind and above her, looking ready to lunge.

"Watch out!" Bloom screamed, amidst the other's own warnings.

At all the noise, Musa twisted in mid-air giving them all a chance to see the horrified look cross her face right before she disappeared between the monster's huge jaws. Gasps echoed all around, and Bloom felt her heart leap into her throat and her stomach twist painfully as the monster ducked beneath the water. Flora went to throw herself into the water after the monster, Stella and Bloom right on her heels, but Tecna was suddenly in the way, catching ahold of Flora and hauling her back.

"We can't just give up on her," Flora wailed, thrashing in Tecna's arms, but she held firm and flew them both up into the air, out of reach of the monster if it reappeared. Stella and Bloom, both feeling numb, followed.

"Why did you stop me?" Flora screeched, still trying to wriggle out of Tecna's grip. "I could have-"

"You were going to get yourself killed long before you ever got to Musa," Tecna said, shaking the brunette harshly. "We need to be smart and fast about this if we're going to save Musa."

Finally Flora calmed, but Tecna waited for her to concede a nod before releasing her. Panting and blotchy, Flora pushed her hair back from her face.

"So what do we need to do?"

"We need an underwater spell," Tecna said. "We have no idea how far down the monster went."

"There was that one we learnt in Charms the other day," Stella recalled, and they instantly remembered. The class, Charms, seemed dedicated to teaching them useless spells that they would 'definitely find a use for one day' or so their teacher, a squat, ancient fairy, told them.

Tecna nodded. "That'll work."

They got to work instantly, Musa's waning time at the forefront of their minds, and performed the spell. A bubble of air encased each of them, and Bloom wrinkled her nose as her ears popped. Another quick snap of their fingers and the bubbles were illuminated for when they went into the dark water.

"Remember, these won't protect you from physical attacks," Tecna reminded them shortly, as they flew down to the water.

They dived into the water without any more discussion and immediately began swimming for the bottom, all having assumed that's where the monster would reside.

"There," Flora finally said after what felt like hours of swimming, pointing ahead.

Down at the bottom, the same amount of the monster was visible, it's neck and head, the rest of it shielded by the cave it was lying inside. The monster's eyes were closed.

"It's asleep," Flora added, voice lowering.

"Or just pretending," Bloom frowned.

The monster suddenly sighed slightly, mouth opening to reveal Musa lying on it's tongue.

"It hasn't swallowed yet," Stella said in relief.

"Some creature's do that," Tecna replied. "Keep food in their mouths for a while to make it more tender and easier to digest."

The other's shot her a look, not wanting to think of digestion while their friend was in a monster's mouth.

"I'll go in," Bloom said, knowing that their friend wouldn't be able to survive much longer without air. "You guys cover me."

The others knew there was no time to argue, the monster's mouth could close any second and Musa was quickly running out of time. Bloom swam through the water, in an easy freestyle, and after a quick gasp of apprehension, slipped between it's looming jaws.

She didn't know if the monster felt her zooming past, or the added pressure on it's tongue but something made it close it's mouth, shutting them in with the darkness. Her bubble still gave off a faint glow, but that wasn't exactly a good thing as it illuminated all the teeth surrounding her. Trying not to look at how the light made their edges glint, Bloom pulled Musa into the bubble where her friend immediately gagged and began coughing up water. Bloom helped her onto her hands and knees, banging on her back to help bring up the water, all the while considering how they were going to get out of there. Finally when it looked like Musa had gotten all the water out of her lungs, Bloom summoned her magic to palm and hoping it wouldn't make the monster swallow, touched her charged hand to the roof of the monster's mouth, zapping it.

Fortunately, it worked like a charm and the monster snarled in protest, opening it's mouth and allowing Bloom to swim back out again, dragging Musa along behind her.

Not so fortunately, the shock woke the beast up and it's eyes somehow seemed madder when they opened to glare at the five fairies. It let out another inhuman shriek, and immediately began wriggling out of it's cave, dislodging loose debris and sending it raining down on the girls.

"I'd say it's time to go."

They needed no more encouragement and immediately began kicking for the surface, Bloom slower than usual because of a still groggy Musa slumped against her. She chanced a look over her shoulder once, and was glad to see the monster seemed to be slowed down itself by the debris blocking it's way.

They resurfaced right by the bank of the island and without needing to discuss they surged into the air, snapping the water from their wings with a few flutters, and headed the short way for the island. In their haste they didn't seem to notice that the haze they'd seen around the island was even thicker here, cloying and stifling in the air.

Bloom helped Musa to the ground who coughed a few times and wrung out her limp pigtails.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Flora asked her, kneeling beside her.

"I'm okay, I think," Musa said, voice sounding a little raw but otherwise okay. "Other than drinking half the lake, of course. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

Satisfied, the other's helped her to her feet before glancing around at the island. Trees rose up on either side of a path they stood on, but there was something off about them to Bloom, like something was missing. Shaking away the concern she turned back to her friends.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked.

"I don't think we should confront the monster again, until we have a solid plan," Tecna said, in her usual calm, logical way. "I think we should also take some time to dry off, and recuperate," she added, with a not so subtle look at Musa, who despite her reassurance still looked paler than normal.

"We could collect some xylith leaves for the nymph's," Flora suggested quickly, when it looked like Musa was going to argue. "Then we could take some back to them after we deal with the monster."

"Good enough for me," Stella said. She glanced around before pointedly back at Flora.

"Oh right," Flora said, and looked around at the foliage, eyes scanning for the xylith leaves. "It's weird," she said after a moment, walking towards a clump of black shrubs. "They're dead," Flora said, fingering the decayed leaves, voice blunt with surprise.

The others quickly joined her and Bloom's eyes were immediately drawn to the leaves of a plant nearby. She recognised the black spots, a sign of sickness in the plant that Flora had told her to look out for in the plants in their room.

"They're all dying," Bloom said.

Flora frowned and stood, touching the leaves. "She's right," she said, looking around again. "All these plants are dying."

"How-" Stella broke off to yawn. "How could they all be dying?"

Rubbing at her eyes, Flora could only spin on the spot, looking lost. "I don't know."

"A systematic search is in order then," Tecna said briskly, fighting back a yawn. "Let's go."

Lacking a better plan, and the monster temporarily driven from the girl's mind, they started to wander along the path, which seemed to spiral in towards the centre of the island. The only sounds as they walked was the dying leaves rustling in the breeze and the girl's yawning. Bloom's brain felt painfully sluggish as she rubbed at her eyes and forced herself to take step after step; no matter how many times she shook herself mentally and tried to wake herself up, her brain just felt slower and slower.

The closer to the centre of the island the girl's got, the thicker the haze in the air grew, until it took on it's own distinct scent.

"That smells really nice," Stella said, with a sleepy smile. "Like designer perfume."

"Nuh-uh," Flora shook her head, before being temporarily overcome by a powerful yawn. "It smells like roses."

Bloom didn't know what either of them were talking about; it smelt like a sharp mixture of paints, turpentine, and canvas, the way her room did after a long day of painting. Something about this struck her as odd, but she felt much too tired to puzzle it out then.

Following their noses, the girls hurried onwards. Tecna was the only one who seemed apprehensive, falling behind slightly, as she eyed the fog with a suspicious curiosity.

"That trip in the water has me so seriously exhausted," Musa complained, literally dragging her feet as she walked.

"I _could_ go for a power nap myself," Stella agreed, then stretched.

"It's very quiet here," Tecna said suddenly, voice sounding much too loud to Bloom after all their sleepy murmurs. "Hear the birds?"

"Actually I don't," Stella replied.

Bloom didn't hear Tecna's sharp response because she was too busy wondering what it was they were looking for again. She glanced lazily to the side and was surprised by the wall of black that looked back; there wasn't a single living thing left in the foliage.

Distantly she heard Tecna's voice, tight with worry say something about "air composition" and "analysis" but the fog, which seemed to be in her brain now made it too hard to make out the actual words.

Up ahead of her, Bloom saw Stella sink to her knees, still mumbling happily and curl up on the ground in a ball. Almost immediately after, Musa and Flora were following, Musa splaying out like she always did when she slept. Tecna appeared out of the corner of her eye, hurrying to each of her friends and shaking them in turn; but there was something wrong with her face, Bloom realised, it was shielded by a transparent, green mask. Frowning in confusion, Bloom took a lurching step towards them, and nearly fell to the ground. It was only by clutching at the blacked bark of a nearby tree trunk was she able to stay on her feet.

Bloom's eyes caught on something in the distance, and saw that they had all but reached the centre of the island, marked by a large clearing. And in the very centre of that clearing, where the fog was the thickest, was the only tree that wasn't dead in the area; instead it was deep red willow, it's branches barren, and it's trunk twisted and gnarled. Some deep and instinctual fear made itself known in the pit of Bloom's stomach. She blinked blearily, once, twice, and then she opened her eyes to see Tecna had appeared before her, face worried through the mask.

"Tecna?" Bloom forced out through her dry mouth. She pushed away from the trunk and tried to take a step only to have her knees collapse from under her.

"Bloom!" Tecna's arms came around Bloom and helped lower her to the floor.

"I've never been so tired," Bloom sighed, staring up at the sky. Unconsciousness was creeping up on her, and she knew she wouldn't be able to resist it's call for much longer. "Look at that ugly tree, Tecna," Bloom yawned. She wanted to point, but her hand felt too heavy so she settled for turning her head to look at it. This time, though, she noticed something else. "Look at all the sleeping birdies. And look, the little nymph. She's taking a nap."

Tecna glanced over her shoulder at the tree, and dark understanding passed over her face. She whipped back around. "Stay awake, Bloom!" Tecna said, shouting now.

But sleep had Bloom in it's clutches, and it wasn't letting her go.

Bloom knew immediately, in that instinctive way, that she hadn't slept for very long. The sun was still overhead, blinding to her eyes, and the dirt was hard beneath her.

"Welcome back," a familiar voice said.

Bloom forced herself upright and caught sight of Tecna, hands raised, and obviously directing the bubble that encased them. Straight away, she noticed that there was no fog inside the bubble, but she could see it outside, where the other girls still laid, pushing at and swirling around the dome.

"What happened?"

Tecna ignored the question, and gestured to the bubble with a jerk of her head. "We need to make this bigger."

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, Bloom forced away the questions and together they got to work, Bloom making the bubble bigger until it encased the other girls, and the edges of the clearing, while Tecna evaporated the deadly fog.

"That tree," Tecna said, nodding at the scary looking tree in the middle of the clearing, as she shook Stella awake. "Is called _somnus-mortiferum,_ also known as the Red Willow, and is a pest. If left to grow unchecked, it takes control of an area using it's gas to choke the life from nearby plants. The gas, deadly to other plants, makes other living things fall asleep."

"Good morning," Musa said sleepily, interrupting their conversation and blinking awake. "I could really go for some pancakes right now."

Stella meanwhile was grumbling. "Turn off the light," she whined, turning over and throwing her arms over her head. "The alarm hasn't gone off yet."

It wasn't only the girls waking up however, and soon the area was noisy with the awakened birds chirps and singing. Tecna quickly repeated her explanation to the other girls.

"I should have known," Flora said, shaking her head angrily. "We have Red Willows on Linphea as well. The government is always trying something new to get rid of them for good."

"Never mind, Flo," Musa said comfortingly. "We're all good, now."

"So what first?" Stella asked.

"How about we make the bubble even bigger," Bloom suggested, eyeing the animals, and nymph who still laid outside the bubble's limits. "Then maybe the nymph can help us work out how this all happened."

"We'll power converge," Musa said. "That should give us enough power."

The girls obediently linked hands, and sent their winx into the bubble, stretching it until it covered as much of the clearing as they could without touching the willow. The animals, stretched and rolled to their feet, already trotting off while the nymph, yawned and stretched.

"Hey, are you okay?" Flora asked, as the fairies kneeled around her.

The nymph blinked at her, and then around at the rest of them. "Oh, yes," she said politely. "Please excuse my appearance," she continued, running a flustered hand through her silvery hair. "I just woke up, and am feeling a bit out of sorts."

"You're part of the Black Mud Junior League aren't you?" Bloom asked.

"Yes. My name is Lusiz," the nymph - Lusiz - offered her little hand to them, and they each took a turn shaking her hand. "Oh, my friends must be so worried about me. I wonder what day it is."

"It's only been a day," Stella told her. "We offered to go look for you."

"Oh, thank you so much for waking me up," Lusiz said. "I went to look for food, you know, we've been running so low. But I noticed the Red Willow's gas immediately and went to investigate, and by the time I realised what it was, I was caught and fell asleep."

There was a great rumble from beneath them, followed by a familiar roar from the monster, and the girls looked to each other warily. In the chaos with the Red Willow they'd temporarily forgotten about the monster they were sent to deal with.

"Poor thing," Lusiz said, clucking her tongue, and thoroughly surprising the girls.

Again they looked to each other, this time in surprise.

"Are you talking about the monster?" Musa asked uncertainty.

"Yes, and that is no monster, my dear. Here, let me explain. Just before I fell unconscious, I was able to have a brief conversation with a bird that lives nearby in the swamp. This island isn't really an island at all, but rather the shell of a gigantic slow-moving turtle. The turtle used to wander the swamp in peace until the willow began to grow and caught the turtle in it's gas. Now the turtle sleepwalks and is forced to do the willow's bidding."

Thinking back, Bloom remembered the strange red murkiness of the monster's eyes.

"The protective barrier will vanish when we leave and doesn't cover all of the island anyway," Tecna said, thinking hard.

"Which means we'll have to get rid of the willow," Bloom said decisively.

That was apparently the wrong thing to say, because the willow suddenly struck, it's branches stabbing at the barrier, until it shivered, and vanished all together. Immediately, the noxious gas overcame them, and the itch of sleepiness began.

"Quickly," Lusiz cried. "We'll be asleep in minutes, if we don't get rid of the willow."

The winx and Lusiz flew into the air, while the willow returned to its original position, looking as still as any of the other trees on the island. The girls knew better however, and were careful to stay out of reach of its branches.

"I'm against deforestation, but in this case we don't have a choice," Bloom quipped, and threw a ball of fire at the tree. But the fire seemed to have no effect on the tree.

"It's bark is very strong so it can resist attacks," Flora explained. "But I've got a spell that'll make it burn from the inside out. You attack it once more, Bloom, and leave the rest up to me."

The pair raised their hands together and each shot an energy ball, Bloom's red and crackling like fire, Flora's green and tangled with vines. The magic collided in mid-air and flew at the willow, and at once the bark turned black and the tree started to die. Flora brought her cupped hands to her mouth and blew into them, green sparkles flew from her fingers and settled on the branches of the willow, which disappeared into thin air, taking with it the noxious fog.

"Ladies," Lusiz said. "Do you hear that sound?"

It was like someone had clicked unmute on the island, for the air was suddenly filled with bird calls and songs, the clicking of crickets and cicadas, and the rustle of other mammals moving about.

"That's the sound of nature awakening."

Acting on some instinct, they all closed their eyes for a moment and just listened to the cacophony surrounding them. Then inevitably Flora's attention was drawn to the blackened trees and she walked to the nearest one, pressing a gentle hand to it's bark.

"The trees," she said mournfully to Lusiz.

But Lusiz smiled, surprising them. "Don't worry, my friend. Me and my friends at the Junior League will make sure to take care of the plants, and with a little care, the plants will flourish again."

Placated, Flora nodded. The girls and Lusiz began to prepare for the journey back to the grove, the nymph eager to see her Queen and friends again.

Lusiz's reunion with the nymphs was a heartwarming one, with many of the nymph's crying with joy at her return, and even some of the fairies tearing up at the sight. After several minutes of hugging, during which Lusiz was passed around the league, the Queen finally began to usher Lusiz towards her private throne. Wiping their eyes with the collars of their shirts, the five friends, as well as Mitriel and Thalne followed.

"I can't ever thank you enough," the Queen once they were all settled again. Lusiz sat close to her side, and the queen kept glancing at her, as if to ensure that Lusiz was still there. "The Red Willow is a pest we have been lucky to have never encountered until now. But you have restored harmony to the swamp, and for that we are all eternally grateful."

"I feel bad for the turtle," Stella spoke up. "The spell gave her such a bad rep, it'll be hard to recover from that."

"The turtle will be just fine," the Queen assured her. "No one will hold a grudge in the swamp. It is only unfortunate that we will have to move on."

The girls gaped in astonishment.

"Move on?" Bloom asked after a moment. "Why? You can't move on. You're the Junior League of the swamp."

"At least temporarily," the queen said, trying to placate them, but they could see her unhappy expression. "We have to find another food source. Perhaps when the xylith plant population replenishes we can return." Mitriel, Lusiz, and Thalne all looked equally unhappy at the prospect, but not surprised, as though they'd already resigned themselves to this.

"I think I have a way you can stay," Flora said suddenly, thoughtful look on her face. "You only need a temporary food source until you can grow more xylith plants, right? How long would that take?"

The queen, looking skeptical, considered the question. "If we put all our attention on the plants, perhaps two weeks?"

"And I assume you wouldn't need very many leaves to feed the league in that time?" Flora continued, still looking lost in thought.

"No," the queen said slowly. "The leaves are quite large and can last us a few days. What are you proposing?"

"It would probably be best if I showed you," Flora said, fishing a familiar-looking vial from her pocket. "Can you show me a xylith leaf?"

The queen looked at Flora for a long time before turning to nod at Mitriel and Thalne, who slipped off their chairs and into the water without a word. They swam away and returned only a few minutes later, towing a large leaf, which they offered to Flora. Flora dripped first one drop, and then another onto the xylith leaf and two identical leaves materialised beside it. For good measure Flora added one more drop and a third clone of the leaf appeared.

The queen gasped at the display, while Mitriel, Thalne, and Lusiz burst into enthusiastic applause.

"How marvelous," the queen said, beaming. "That's truly spectacular. And they are completely edible?" she asked, glancing at Flora.

"Yes, of course. I can make enough to tide you over until you can grow your own."

"Ladies, we could never thank you enough," the queen said, looking at each of the girls. "You've done so much for us, much more than we could ever have expected. And so we have a special gift as a symbol of our gratitude."

Mitriel and Thalne produced a dusky mauve blossom and offered it to Flora, who took it from them so gently she might have been handling a diamond.

"I had Mitriel and Thalne go pick this while you were gone, and now it is yours with our gratitude. I'll also send word to Ms Faragonda, of how you have helped us."

"Oh, thank you, Your Majesty," Flora said as the five girls stood. They attempted to execute curtsies, which ranged from perfect (Stella and Musa), to fair (Flora), to wobbly (Tecna and Bloom), before excusing themselves and heading back to the castle.

Hours later, Bloom stood at the glass doors to her balcony and watched the sun set, cup of coffee warming her hands. She'd stand actually _on_ the balcony but winter had well and truly hit Alfea and it was freezing outside. This part of Magix didn't get snow very often apparently, but that didn't stop it from getting freezing cold, especially at night, and the howling wind and creaking groans of the moving trees made Bloom feel lucky to be inside in the warmth.

She'd gotten off the phone with her parents some time ago, who, after hearing of her disastrous exam, had returned to their nightly phone schedule, having letting it lapse after the first month. It was hard talking to them, after the realisation she'd made today. It was hard, telling them about her excursion to the swamp and dealing with the monster, when they were still struggling to come to terms with the fact that they were no longer parents with normal concerns like school-work and where their daughter would go to college. Bloom hadn't told them much about the monster, but still they'd sounded shaken when they'd said goodnight.

"You okay, B?"

Bloom half-turned to find Musa hovering in the doorway of her room in a rare show of uncertainty. A tired smile worked it's way onto Bloom's face before she glanced back at the sunset.

"You've been quiet since we left Faragonda's office," Musa continued, and Bloom heard her soft, approaching footfalls on the carpet.

True to her word, the nymph Queen had said word to their headmistress who had tracked them down to offer her own thanks and praise.

"You okay?" Musa asked again, coming to stand beside Bloom.

"Yeah," Bloom sighed. "Just coming to terms with the fact that near-death experiences are becoming a normal part of my life."

"And you're not running and screaming, yet?" Musa joked, but Bloom could feel her worried gaze on the side of her face.

"No," she replied simply, trying to explain it. "I should be scared," she continued. "But instead I feel… I don't know, right? Like this is how it should be? Is that crazy?" Bloom finally pulled her eyes away from the horizon and glanced at Musa, who looked back at her sympathetically.

"I don't think any response to all this is right or wrong because you are literally the only person to go through this. Finding out you aren't human would have been enough, but then to also be thrown into this lifestyle where everyday is a risk? I think you're holding up pretty well. And if this feels right to you? Well, I don't believe in destiny and all that stuff but maybe something in your blood or your body or whatever knew this was what it was meant to be doing; you do have fairy blood after all."

Bloom blinked at her friend, stunned. She hadn't thought of it like that and it was comforting to think she wasn't crazy for not going crazy.

"Musa, thank you," she said, before surprising both of them by pulling Musa into a hug. It was clear her friend wasn't expecting it, nor was she used to it because she stiffened right away. But after a long moment, she relaxed and slid her arms around Bloom's waist, returning the embrace.

"No worries, B," she murmured into Bloom's shoulder. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Right," Bloom sighed as they pulled apart. "Come on," she said and indicated the common room with a nod of her head. Musa followed her agreeably out, where they found Flora and Tecna, and were soon joined by Stella, grumbling at having her nightly routine interrupted.

"What's up, Bloom?" Tecna asked, pushing away her laptop and giving her full attention, the others following suit.

Bloom shifted from foot to foot, where she was standing in front of the tv. "I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week, and today. And I've realised that a large part of me has been treating all of this," she accompanied the word with a large hand gesture as if to encapsulate all of Alfea, "as something out of a dream or something. It's all so unbelievable that I've been subconsciously acting like I can't get seriously hurt, or like it will be like a movie or something. But when the witches attacked me in my exam I realised that I can and will get hurt."

At the mention of the witches the girl's faces grew grave and even Stella stopped her moisturising to look up.

"This is real life," Bloom continued. "This is _my_ life. And I can't keep acting like the good guys will always miraculously win, or that help will come swooping in at the last minute, because if I do I might not make it out of the next battle alive."

The girls nodded, understanding and accepting.

"So, what are we going to do?" Tecna asked.

"We've got to stop hoping that the witches don't attack us again, or don't find the Dragon Fire. Because they _are_ looking for it, and as they proved in my test there isn't much they aren't willing to do to find it. We've done all that research, and there's still so much more to do, so I think we keep looking into it."

"Can't we just go to Faragonda?" Flora asked. "Surely she can do something about this?"

Bloom shook her head but to her surprise it was Stella who answered.

"No," the blonde said in a rare show of seriousness. "They won't believe us. Look," she continued when the others showed signs of arguing. "Most of you grew up away from witches, Linphea, the Harmonic Nebula have both banned witch populations-"

"Zenith is a completely integrated society," Tecna reminded Stella curtly. "And Solaria isn't."

"Yes, Zenith is completely integrated, but your people are so knowledge and fact driven that conflict just doesn't happen, it's a phenomenon. And yes, Solaria is majority fairies and heroes, but I also spent a full year on Magix last year. The point is, the teacher's can't go looking into every single argument between fairies and witches-"

"Dude," Musa protested. "I think it's been more than proven that this is more than an argument. They've broken into our school, they almost killed Bloom-"

"We've also broken into their school." It was Tecna who interrupted this time. "And Bloom's test could be argued as a prank that accidentally went too far; witches can be master manipulators. Besides, even if Faragonda did believe us that the Trix were really out to get us, she doesn't have the authority to do anything about it. Add in our theories about the Dragon Flame and Sparx's lost Princess, which would instantly become a council issue-"

"Wait, Council?" Bloom asked.

"The Council for the Protection of Peace in the Magical Dimension," Tecna explained patiently. "Following the first dimension war, it was decided that in order to minimise the chance of more conflict, a council would be formed with the specific goal of maintaining peace in the dimension. It's made up of hundreds of planets, but not all, mostly because those with all or majority witch and wizard populations refused to join. Some did, because they too suffered losses in the war, but most didn't. They don't meet very often because they only meet to discuss issues that affect the entire universe."

"Which the Dragon Fire is sure to be," Stella added. "Because Sparx has been destroyed, and because the dragon flame is so powerful it would fall on the Council to make a decision about what to do about it. But the Council could take months to come to a decision, especially about something as powerful as the dragon flame."

"Doesn't seem very effective," Bloom commented.

"It isn't," Musa said darkly. "It would be a massive waste of time that the Trix would use to their advantage to find the Dragon Flame first. Because we would be forbidden from acting until the Council made a decision."

"So we all agree that telling the Council, and Faragonda, who I'm assuming who would insist on calling the Council together, is not an option."

They all looked at Flora who had been the main objector. She held up her hands, surrender style. "Agreed," she said. "But if we can't tell Faragonda or the Council, what are we going to do about the Dragon Flame."

"Simple," Bloom said, putting her hands on her hips. "We're going to find it first."

* * *

 **Hey guys this was never my favourite episode but I hope you like the chapter anyway. Also, I've talked about this before but a guest reviewer asked so I'm putting the answer here, Flora is bisexual, her and her girlfriend will most likely break up before the end of the fic, and yes I will be introducing Helia in the next installment.**


	13. Chapter 13

The search for the Dragon Flame didn't exactly get off to the start that Bloom was hoping. First off, it didn't seem to matter that exams were all but over and winter break was less than a week away, their teacher's were still insisting on setting them mounds of homework every night. Secondly, the other girls still hadn't completed their Magical Reality exam and the anxiety of waiting was clearly starting to get to them; Musa and Tecna in particular got mad if the dorm wasn't totally silent in the afternoon when they were trying to study. And finally, Bloom had been spending more and more time with Brandon - especially considering they were about to go on holidays for two weeks during which they wouldn't see each other at all - and they'd been spending most weekends with each other and even some weeknights. Like tonight.

"Who even goes out on a Thursday night?" Stella griped, and looked out the window from her sprawl on Bloom's bed. It wasn't that late yet, but was already dark outside. "It really is miserable out there," she continued, when Bloom resolutely ignored her.

"What's your deal?" Bloom asked, holding up a cardigan before shaking her head and tossing it aside. The entire contents of her wardrobe was decorating the floor of her room as she tried to search for an outfit both appropriate for a date and the weather. "I thought you'd be happy for me."

"I'm sorry, darling," Stella sighed. "I am happy for you, just been feeling a bit neglected lately."

Bloom temporarily abandoned her search to frown at her friend. "Neglected? I thought things between you and Sky had been going well?"

"Oh, they are," Stella assured her quickly. "I think he might even be close to formally asking me to be his… well anyway, he left an assignment to the last minute so it's been a while since we've been able to go out. But anyway, let's get you ready, I'm assuming an inside activity?"

"I guess so," Bloom said. "It's a surprise."

"Nice. So let's think layers, because you want to be covered up when you're outside, but then be able to take them off when you're inside," Stella said expertly and scanned the clothes scattered over the room. "Aha," she said, snagging a pale pair of jeans. Like most of Bloom's jeans they were artfully torn but lacked any major rips or holes so would protect most of her skin. Stella quickly the paired the jeans with a grey and white striped knit jumper, grey scarf, and brown ankle boots lined with fleece. "And I have the perfect coat to go with it," she said handing the pile over to Bloom.

Bloom could only gape at her friend; she'd been trying to decide on an outfit for over half an hour and Stella had managed to put the perfect one together in under a minute. Shaking her head, Bloom quickly wriggled into the clothes before Stella reappeared. When she did she had her arms full of a white coat.

"Now you'll be warm and fashionable," Stella promised, and began to help Bloom apply a simple layer of makeup. She braided back the front of Bloom's hair, leaving the rest out to spill out in a stark contrast against the coat and stepped back so Bloom could get a look at herself.

"Wow, you really are magical," Bloom laughed, glancing over her appearance, while Stella preened at the praise.

"Thank you, darling. Now hop to it, the next bus into Magix leaves soon."

The pair walked into the common room where Musa was studying and Flora was trying to drag her down to the dining hall for some dinner.

"Come on, Musa," she was pleading, while Musa remained engrossed in her textbook. "Half an hour away from studying will not make you fail."

"You never know," the other fairy replied, and started to turn the pages feverishly as though afraid Flora could snatch it off her at any moment.

"Good luck with her," Bloom told Flora and Stella sympathetically and headed for the door.

"Bloom, wait," Tecna called, simultaneously hurrying from her room and zipping up a thick windbreaker. "Are you going down to the bus stop?" At Bloom's nod, Tecna smiled. "I'll walk with you, I'm heading over to Red Fountain to work with Timmy on our computer."

"Me thinks things between our resident nerds are heating up" Stella teased from the lounge.

Tecna paused by the doorway. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Stella," she began reproachfully. "Timmy and I are just friends."

"Whatever you say," Stella replied, obviously unconvinced, and turned her attention on the television.

Flora, having given up on Musa and opened her own study notes, glanced up. "Oh, leave her alone, Stel," she sighed. "Have fun, you two."

"Thanks, Flo," Bloom grinned, and pulled Tecna through the door before she and Stella could get into it any more.

* * *

"So, where are you taking me?" Bloom called over the howling wind to Brandon as they battled along the sidewalk.

Despite the relatively early hour, the street lights were already on to ward off the approaching darkness. There were few cars on the road, and even less people on the sidewalk. It seemed Bloom and Brandon were almost the only two in the entire city who hadn't shut themselves in for the night. Still, Brandon grinned at her, teeth flashing in the dark.

"Right here," he said, gesturing up to the brightly lit sign of a cinema, before leading her inside.

The cinema was almost as completely deserted as the street when they walked in apart from one bored looking worker, who glanced up with vague interest as they stripped off their coats and sighed when their frozen skin began to thaw.

"I figured," Brandon began. "That the movies would be quiet on a weeknight which would be perfect for you to ask as many questions as you want."

Bloom could only look at him for a moment, touched by the thoughtfulness of the date. She had complained before that watching television and movies was no longer the relaxing activity it once was when she could barely understand what was going on. And love her, as her friends did, she knew that sometimes they just wanted to watch their favourite shows without her piping up with a question every 30 seconds.

"That sounds perfect," she murmured finally, and Brandon's grin widened.

"So, what do you want to watch?" he asked, gesturing to the movie posters lining the walls of the entrance.

Bloom felt her eyes widening as she began to wander along and tried to take in all the names and figures on the posters. There were a few that looked like period pieces which she immediately skipped over, a couple that were obviously kids movies that she similarly discarded, before finally settling on one. On it two groups of people stared each other down, heroes and fairies, similarly corded with muscle on one side, and on the other: witches and wizards, the former's hands alight with magic while the latter's simultaneously wielded blades and magic. Above their heads were the words, _**VUSTARA WARS 3**_ emblazoned in blocky letters. The beneath in smaller script: _For some, this will be the final battle._

Behind her, Brandon was looking at another poster and speaking, "I thought you might like something like-"

"This one," she interrupted firmly.

Brandon came and joined her, and his mouth slowly curved into a grin when he saw what she had decided on. "Yeah?" he asked, before glancing back at the poster he'd been looking at before.

Bloom followed his gaze to see a brightly coloured poster featuring a tall hero and a willowy fairy gazing soppily into each other's eyes. She snorted - very unladylike, and she could almost _hear_ Stella telling her off about it - and shook her head. "Dude, you have so much to learn about me. I mean," she added teasingly, when Brandon glanced back at her and quirked a blonde brow. "If you want to watch that one, we totally can."

"Hey, don't knock romance movies," Brandon chided her gently, already leading her to the counter. "I happen to like a good one every now and then."

Bloom glanced at him, trying to determine whether he was joking or not but he was already ordering the tickets for the action movie Bloom had picked, and then after checking with her some popcorn and drinks. Smiling, Bloom filed away the information that tough, muscled Brandon liked rom-coms and followed him to their cinema.

Brandon's prediction was spot-on and by the time the pre-movie ads started playing they were still the only ones in the cinema. Which was perfect for Bloom to ask questions whenever she was confused by what was happening on the screen without disturbing anyone else; Brandon didn't seem to mind the endless questions but rather they seemed to entertain him. That's how they spent the next couple of hours, watching the movie, Bloom asking the occasional question and subconsciously leaning closer and closer to each other until by the end of the movie only the unforgiving arm-rest between them stopped them from curling around one another.

* * *

Some time later the pair found themselves sitting in a late night coffee shop, crowded with Alfea and Red Fountain students. They still had a little bit of time before their curfew and neither wanted to head back before they had to. Sitting there, enjoying a cup of coffee each, Bloom found herself telling Brandon all about the witches and their quest for the Dragon Fire, about her odd dreams, and how they planned to find the flame themselves to keep it out of the witches hands, and why they couldn't tell anyone about it all. Bloom reasoned that it would helpful to have the specialists know about it in case they ever needed extra help, and Brandon, Timmy, and Sky had already seen first hand the witches vendetta against them.

"So this nymph is visiting you in your dreams? That's pretty intense stuff. Did you say she calls you by name and sounds familiar?"

"Something about her face looks familiar as well," Bloom said remembering. Even behind the mask the nymph wore, there was something about the set of the nymph's jaw, and in her brown eyes that felt achingly familiar.

"Maybe you've seen her before?" Brandon suggested, but even he didn't sound convinced.

"Well she's on the town hall facade, but I think there might be more to it than that. Regardless, I'm more interested in the why of it all. Why is she visiting me out of all people? And is this connected to the Dragon Fire or something totally different? And is this even real or am I just having crazy dreams?" Bloom accompanied the last question with a self-deprecating smile.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you found out you're not an ordinary Earthling?" Brandon said, and took a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, maybe," Bloom replied, idly tracing the rim on her mug as she thought. But it didn't matter how she turned the pieces of the puzzle, she couldn't work out how it all fit together. "I wish I could find out more about her, Daphne."

"You haven't tried the library?"

"No, I have," Bloom sighed and then feeling paranoid she glanced over both shoulder before leaning closer to Brandon and lowering her voice. "I've checked out just about every book that so much as mentions her but lately I feel, I don't know, watched? Like the librarian always seems overly interested in what I'm looking at. I just feel like maybe someone at Alfea knows more than they're letting on."

If Brandon also thought Bloom was being paranoid he didn't show it in the slightest and instead smiled comfortingly. "Don't worry, I'll put Timmy on the case. Put him in the Red Fountain library with a laptop and some coffee and he'll find everything you need to know."

Bloom twisted her fingers together. "Are you sure? I don't want to distract him away from homework, or assignments, or anything."

But Brandon laughed airily. "Don't worry, Timmy has done all the reading for all our classes for the rest of the year."

"If you're sure."

"Yeah, it'll be fine. We'll all work on it over the winter break and then we can all get together after we come back."

"Sounds perfect."

"Speaking of, when we come back, are we gonna-" Brandon cut himself off as he caught sight of the time. Disappointment clouded his expression. "Damn, we're gonna have to move if we want to get back before curfew. Do you want a ride on my bike again?"

Pushing away her curiosity about what Brandon was going to ask her, Bloom nodded eagerly, already anticipating the thrill of another ride on Brandon's leva-bike.

* * *

The next afternoon, the girls were met with a rather frazzled looking Professor Palladium when they gathered at the top of the South Tower, in the large amphitheatre just below the Magical Reality Chamber for a double lesson. As they waited for class to start, rumours flew around, some saying that the Chamber had been declared permanently damaged, while others disagreed and thought that the Chamber was up and running better than ever.

"I have an announcement that I'm sure you've all been waiting anxiously for," Palladium began, speaking quickly as though he had a lot to get through. "The Magical Reality Chamber is up and working again, which means we can finally continue your exams.

"We'll get through as many as possible in this lesson, but we'll have to meet again tomorrow to get through the rest." At the loud chorus of groaning this prompted, Palladium shifted nervously and held up his hands in surrender. "I know you don't want to spend your Saturday doing exams but you'll all be going home for winter break on Sunday afternoon and it is imperative that you have all completed your exam before then. Besides," he said firmly over the continued grumbling, "The quicker I can start, the more free time you'll have tomorrow."

Immediately the noise broke off as the fairies sat up and tried to look extra attentive. "Thank you. Now you've all had ample time to prepare so I want no excuses today if your name is called. In order to save time I've had the computer pre-select the order, and first up is Stella. But," Palladium continued, eyes narrowing as they swept the class on the bleachers. "It seems she's absent today. Did anyone see her this morning?"

Bloom already had her hand raised because Palladium was correct and she was one friend down. "I saw her, Professor. And she really wasn't feeling well. She was going to drop by the infirmary some time today." 'Saw her' might have been a bit of a stretch considering that when Bloom poked her head into Stella's room to see if she was coming down to breakfast all she saw was a lump in the bed that had mumbled something then coughed.

Palladium nodded, though he still looked skeptical. "No penalty will incur as long as she is here to complete her test first thing tomorrow or she brings a healer's note explaining her absence. Let's see, next then, would be, Flora. Flora, if you would and anyone who wants to watch." Palladium gestured to the door to the narrow staircase that would lead them up to the control room.

Flora, looking only slightly nervous, stood, along with Bloom, Musa, Tecna, and most of the class. Having only seen Bloom's test which hadn't exactly gone to plan, they were eager to see what they could expect when witches weren't crashing the test.

While Flora took her place in the chamber, Palladium got everything ready with the computers, and everybody else found perfect vantage points from which the could watch the test. Palladium gave Flora some information about the planet on which she would be surviving before finally powering up the program.

For half an hour they watched their friend; Flora succeeded in planting her cheerful gladiolus, and then making clones of it with her potion which she planted in a ring around her camp which turned out to be an effective barrier when some ghouls showed up looking for trouble. She got a fire going easily enough, had the makings of a great veggie patch, and had even started constructing a makeshift shelter by the time her test was over. Flora walked out of the chamber looking like she'd spent a week at a spa rather than doing a survival exam.

The rest of the double passed in relative quiet and darkness, as they watched three more tests, including Musa and Tecna's, which went off without a hitch before Palladium released them for the afternoon and they headed down the tower, blinking at the brightness after two hours spent in the dim control room.

"I am _so_ glad that's over," Musa sighed, as the class finally spilled out onto the quad. "I vote we go out for pizza to celebrate."

"Stella still has to do her exam, remember," Flora said.

"I'm sure she won't mind coming out with us," Tecna replied. "She hasn't been doing all that much studying lately."

"Bit harsh, Tec," Bloom frowned.

Tecna just shrugged while Musa said, "Harsh but true."

Bloom couldn't argue with her there; despite having all the best intentions about studying, Stella never seemed to actually do all that much, always finding something else of vital important to occupy herself with instead. And speaking of her blonde friend, a thought occurred to Bloom.

"You guys go on," Bloom told them. "I want to drop by the infirmary and see if Stella's there."

With no arguments from the others, Bloom broke off from her friends and headed up to the infirmary while they continued on to the dorm. She found the door closed when she got there and hesitantly knocked before pushing it open.

"Come on in," a familiar voice called, and Bloom stepped inside.

The school healer, Ofelia, was sitting at her desk in the small office space up the same end of the infirmary across from the doorway. Two rows of identical white beds filled up the rest of the space.

"Ah, Bloom, wasn't it?" Ofelia said, recognising Bloom from when she was in a few weeks ago and stood from her desk. "Feeling alright, love?" She reminded Bloom of her own mother, not in looks but in demeanour, the warm smile similar to how Vanessa looked at Bloom, and she felt a pang of homesickness, rare after her many months at Alfea.

"I'm fine," she assured the healer. "I'm actually here checking on my friend. The freshman, Princess Stella?"

The healer's smile dimmed slightly. "No Princesses today, just two sophomores, who claim they got into a fight with a brain sucker," she said, gesturing to the only occupied beds in the infirmary. As if sensing the scrutiny the pair groaned in theatrical harmony. The healer leaned closer to Bloom and continued in an undertone, "But between you and me that story always pops up around exam time."

"Oh, well maybe she was feeling better then," Bloom said, unconvinced.

"Make sure she comes sees me if she isn't," the healer replied, already bustling down the aisle to check on the sophomores.

"Thanks," Bloom called after her, before letting herself out of the infirmary and heading back to the dorm.

* * *

"Guess what the healer just told me?" Bloom called as she let herself into the dorm.

Musa, Tecna, and Flora were all sitting in the common room, just chilling and watching television, able to relax and not study without feeling guilty for the first time in weeks. Musa sat up and pressed the mute button on the remote as the three of them turned to Bloom expectantly.

"Stella never went to the infirmary. She totally lied to us this morning. In other words, she skipped Palladium's class so she wouldn't have to do the exam." Bloom didn't care so much that Stella skipped the class, it was something they'd all either considered doing or had actually done in the past at least once, she was just hurt that Stella thought she had to lie about it to them.

"We should tell her it wasn't that hard at all. We all passed."

"Yeah but we all studied hard," Musa pointed out. "Stella's been a bit slack lately."

"Running away won't solve anything," Tecna said logically. "Sooner or later she's going to have to take the exam."

"That is so true," Bloom said, and she could feel herself getting worked up over the whole situation. "You know what? She needs a magical reality check. Is she here?"

"I think I heard her in her room," Musa said, already turning her attention back to the tv.

"Good, because I'm not leaving her alone until she has a solid plan for the exam tomorrow."

"Want backup?" Flora asked, glancing between her friend and the television.

Bloom waved her away. They'd been working hard and studying almost non-stop lately, they deserved a break, she on the other hand had been able to relax for a few weeks, and Stella had an exam she had to prepare for. Bloom stomped her way into Stella's room, for once not bothering to knock.

"Stella?!" she called over the soft music playing from the stereo when she couldn't immediately see the blonde fairy. "We need to talk."

"Are you looking for me?" Stella appeared in the doorway of her walk-in wardrobe, eyebrow arched expectantly. "Be honest with me," she continued before Bloom could answer and swept her hair over her shoulders. "Do you like this haircut?"

Bloom spared half a glance at Stella's hair. "Sure, very nice. You lied to us about being sick."

"You ever had an oil treatment, Bloom? It's like a facial for your hair." Bloom could tell from the dreaminess in Stella's voice that she hadn't heard a word Bloom had said.

"Are you listening to me? You lied to us and Palladium was expecting you so I had to go out on a limb to keep you from getting in trouble. You _have_ to be there tomorrow or you're going to fail."

"Apologies for the white lie," Stella said carelessly along with a distracted hand wave as she wandered about her room, picking up items of clothing strewn about before discarding them again. "But I had to miss the test, I had much more important things to worry about."

"And, pray tell, what might that be?" Musa quipped, pushing away from the doorway to saunter across the room and flop on Stella's bed. Unbeknownst to either Bloom or Stella, their other three roommates had congregated at the doorway to listen to Bloom's scolding.

"The Miss Magix Annual Beauty Pageant," Stella said proudly.

A long beat of silence passed in which they could all only stare at Stella, even Musa on her back with her head hanging off the edge of the bed, was looking.

"You've got to be joking," Bloom finally managed, casting an unsure glance at the others. But Tecna was mouthing wordlessly to herself, Flora looked perplexed, and Musa was busy rolling herself over so she could get a better look at the blonde fairy.

"You can't actually think a beauty pageant is more important than your exam," Tecna finally added.

"I don't know why you think you can judge me, Tecna," Stella said coolly. "You proved yourself to be pretty adept with the hair straightener the night of Bloom's first date with Sky."

"That may be so," Tecna shot back. "But I also spent the rest of that night studying. _I_ know how to prioritise."

Stella flushed and turned away quickly, but Bloom still caught sight of the hurt that crossed her face. "You guys don't get it," she said, her voice sounding small. Stella yanked her jewelry chest closer and began sorting through the pieces, setting some aside.

Sighing quietly, Bloom walked over to her, setting her pale hand on one of Stella's tanned ones, stilling her frantic movements. "Then explain it to us, Stel."

Stella echoed her sigh, and turned around reluctantly. "I was first runner-up last year. And I know stuff like this won't matter in the long run, but these are the years I can do stuff like this, before everything gets all serious. Besides," she muttered. "I really want that crown."

And Bloom actually kind of got it. She didn't necessarily understand the urge to strut across a stage in only a swimsuit but this was obviously something Stella was passionate about. And she was right, things were already starting to get serious, and would only continue to do so the older they got. So if they couldn't do silly things like this now, then when could they?

"It's illogical," Tecna was saying, obviously not as convinced as Bloom. "Why would you want to be apart of something where all that matters is how you look?"

"It's not just about looks," Stella said quickly. "It's not," she cried, when the others, even Bloom looked skeptical. "It's about grace, and personality, and talent." She looked to her friends imploringly. "I really need your help with this. It's important to me, it's what I'm best at."

"First off," Bloom said quickly, when it looked like the others were going to argue. "You have so many more talents than standing on a stage saying what you want most is dimension-wide peace-"

"How did you know-"

"But," Bloom interrupted her. "As we've spoken about a lot recently, in this dorm we respect each other's hobbies, like some people's music," she said with a pointed glance at Musa. "And other people's technology," she continued, making Tecna acquiesce with a ducked head. "And other's people's plants. So _we_ will respect and support you through this. Right, girls?"

"Right," the other three mumbled reluctantly.

"Really?" Stella asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

"I guess passion's passion," Musa relented, rolling off the bed and to her feet.

"And I can see some logic in following your passion," Tecna admitted.

They all turned to Flora who just shrugged. "If you guys can put up with my plants, I can spend an evening at a beauty pageant."

"Ok, the pageant starts at 5 so that doesn't leave us much time to get into town and get me ready for the official welcome. I'm mostly ready so give me five minutes and then we can-"

"Hold it," Bloom said sternly, holding up a hand to halt the hyperactive fairy. "We'll do this on one condition: the second the pageant is over we come straight home and study until you know survival training back to front."

"Done and done," Stella agreed, not missing a beat. "As Miss Magix I will study like you've never seen me study before. Now let's move people, there's still so much to do!"

* * *

Oddly enough, across the lake in Lucy and Mirta's dorm, a very similar conversation was also taking place.

" _You_ want to be Miss Magix?" Mirta burst out, looking at her friend incredulously.

She hadn't meant to make it sound so condescending but the surprise had overwhelmed her. When Mirta thought of Lucy, she didn't think of soft lines, and a pretty smile prancing across a stage, she thought of Lucy's smirk, and big muscles, and a right hook that was better than any hero Mirta had ever seen.

Lucy looked around quickly, but she needn't have worried about being overheard, their other room-mate wasn't there and the residential wing of the Cloud Tower was quiet.

"I just don't get it," Mirta continued. "What's so appealing about putting on a dress and answering asinine questions? You don't even like wearing dresses."

"Hey, I could wear a dress," Lucy protested, tugging at the cuff of her worn leather jacket self-consciously. "Just because I have muscles doesn't mean I can't also wear dresses."

"Maybe so," Mirta admitted. "But magic is prohibited," she added as kindly as she could.

While witches weren't the hunchbacked, wart-toting, crones that fairytales often made them out to be - although Mirta did have that _one_ aunt - they weren't pretty like fairies. Features that made fairies that much more gorgeous, the high cheekbones, the manicured eyebrows, just made witches look cold and unapproachable. 'Those pixies can be soft and pretty and silly,' Mirta's mother would always lecture. ' _We_ are striking. Besides,' she'd continue with a toss of her hair. 'Our looks are our weapon'.

"Magix is going to have their first witch queen," Lucy said firmly. "Icy said she'd help me. She said when she's through with me I'll be the most beautiful girl in the realm. I'm gonna get that crown and then everything around here is gonna change. _I'll_ be the centre of attention for once, and and Icy, Darcy, and Stormy will finally notice me. Tell me you get it," she said pleadingly to Mirta, and grabbed her friend's hands.

Mirta squeezed back, as if hoping that might soften the blow of her next words. "No. I'm sorry but I don't."

Lucy ripped her hands away and stood from the bed. Mirta looked up at her helplessly. "You're just jealous of me. Because I'm going to be Miss Magix and the Trix will let me be one of them."

"No, Lucy-" Mirta tried to explain that she thought Lucy was beautiful regardless of what those judges thought, and that she was better than all that Trix stuff anyway but her friend was already gone.

* * *

The Miss Magix Beauty Pageant was being held at one of the larger theatres in the city, apparently due to the high demand from the population. The entrance was certainly crowded with contestants and spectators alike despite there being still over an hour before the pageant began. Four out of five of the friends eyed the crowds with trepidation as they arrived.

"An arena packed with beauty queens." Flora faltered as Stella, and by extension themselves started to attract attention. "I'm kind of scared to go in there."

But Stella looked completely in her element as she strutted through the crowd. "Roll back those shoulders, girls," she said encouragingly. "Big smiles, and let's psych out those wannabes!"

Nearby contestants certainly did look nervous, many going pale beneath their fake tans, as they evidently identified Stella as a fellow contestant. Even Tecna who was stalking along behind her with a perfect, yet accidental look of supermodel boredom, and Flora with her big brown eyes, dark skin, and cute skirt and ruffled top ensemble were attracting jealous stares. It was only when eyes fell on Bloom and Musa, the latter the shortest and the former wearing her usual jeans and t-shirt, bringing up the rear did the stares turn to haughty condescension. Bloom ignored them and quickly hurried after her friends while Musa glared and bared her teeth, making the beauty queens turn away with little shrieks.

"Why am I not surprised to find those little twits here," Icy hissed, watching the fairies disappear into the venue. She was still smarting over letting the Dragon Flame slip through her fingers.

"I still don't understand what _we're_ doing here," Darcy shot back, obviously more concerned with that than the fairies. "I thought we were going to that demonology convention?"

"Yeah, what are we doing here?" Stormy whined.

Before Icy could respond, she was distracted by the sudden uptick of stares and whispers as the mainly fairy and hero crowd realised they had three witches in their midst. While Stella and the others had attracted their fair share of looks, the Trix were gaining even more, many stage mothers hurriedly pulling their daughters into the theatre and towards the dressing room.

One brave soul however smirked widely at the sight of the witches before bending to speak to her daughter, "If that's our competition, we've got this in the bag, darling." She didn't even bother to lower her voice, and the words carried easily over the din to the Trix. Her daughter didn't look nearly as amused however, especially when she caught sight of the blind rage on the Trix's faces. She hurriedly mumbled something to her mother, before racing out of the theatre like a bat out of hell, leaving her mother to run after her, dragging the bags.

Icy's lips curled into a cruel smirk. "Perfect," she sneered and lead the other two witches deep into the bowels of the theatre when a certain freshman witch was waiting for them.

"What are we doing here?" Darcy asked again, voice dripping with distaste, as they walked.

"It's a beauty pageant, and we're here to help someone."

"Who could we possibly like enough that we would endure a beauty pageant for?"

Icy started to laugh, like she had when Lucy had first approached her asking for help. "Lucy, that freshman loser. She wants to be Miss Magix."

Darcy and Stormy joined her laughter, clutching their sides at the very thought.

"Oh the poor dear doesn't actually think she can win, does she?" Darcy snorted with faux compassion.

"Yeah. Does she realise that it's a beauty contest, not a freak show?"

"Well, that's where we come in, ladies."

"But why do it?" Darcy wanted to know.

"So she can defeat a certain blonde pixie." Beating Stella at a stupid beauty pageant wouldn't make everything better in Icy's eyes, but it would help tide her over until she was finally able to steal the Dragon Fire. "Besides," she continued carelessly. "Lucy will also do all our homework for the rest of the year in exchange. It's a double witch-up."

"Now that is truly wicked," Stormy said approvingly, eyes already glinting at the idea.

"But we'd better get to work," Darcy said, as they arrived and Lucy, standing moodily against a wall, came into view. "This is going to take some major conjuring."

* * *

Up in the main dressing room of the theatre, which was positively stuffed with fourteen beauty queens, and their support teams, Stella modelled her first outfit of the night, a simple pink halter-neck dress that all the contestants were required to wear for the introductory parade.

"Kinda boring," Stella sniffed, looking down at yourself.

"You look great," Bloom assured her quickly, reaching for the curling iron to fix a few wayward strands of hair.

After the introductory parade, the pageant was broken down into three sections, the stereotypical swimsuit competition, the evening wear section, and then finally the talent competition, which was immediately followed by the question section.

Flora suddenly came rushing back into the dressing room, clutching a small pot and brush. She had disappeared some time ago after reassuring Stella that she had something that could clinch the win for her friend.

"What have you got there?" Stella asked, eyeing it curiously.

"A fresh botanical beauty booster. It's from one of my favourite stores. This will maximise your natural beauty. But it might sting a little," she warned Stella, who shook her head flippantly.

"Fret not," she said sinking into a chair in front of a lit-up mirror. "You're talking to a girl with many years of pluck and groom experience."

Shrugging, Flora got to work, dusting Stella's face, throat, and collarbones with the beauty boosting powder. Meanwhile, Tecna, Bloom, and Musa were distracted by something else.

"We're missing a contestant," Tecna muttered, scanning the list she'd downloaded on her phone. "I've accounted for all but one."

Stella had done a lap of the room before, greeting many girls she'd come up against in previous competitions. There were girls who held titles with their home realms, as well as ordinary residents from all over the realm of Magix.

"I saw one go outside before," Bloom continued in an undertone, not wanting to worry Stella before it was necessary. "Maybe it was her."

"No I saw her go. We're definitely missing someone."

Before they could speculate further or relay the message to Stella, the door to the dressing room opened and the room went eerily quiet. They glanced up to see a man who had to be the host judging by his dashing white suit, and a girl standing meekly behind him.

"Ladies," he said in his best presenter voice. "I wanted to come by and wish you the best of luck. But also to tell you we've unfortunately had a contestant pull out. Never fear, Miss Popularis was in the neighbourhood and was delighted to compete in her place. Again best of luck ladies. The curtain rises in 20." The host beamed a final time and left, leaving the poor girl to a den of hungry wolves.

"I didn't know Popularis had beauty pageants," Stella sniffed eyeing the girl. "I thought they were all too busy being nice to each other to have competitions."

Underneath her stiff words Bloom detected an undercurrent of worry, and Bloom couldn't blame her. The contestant from Popularis was gorgeous, with long black hair, a delicate face, and pretty, dark eyes.

A shriek from outside suddenly interrupted the room's analysis of Miss Popularis, and while most went right back to work, the newest contestant hurrying over to a free mirror, Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna all dashed outside to determine the source. Outside a worried looking girl was trying to console her friend who was crying loudly into her hands.

"I'll never win now," the girl - one of the contestants Bloom realised - cried and Bloom fought the urge to put her hands over her ears. Something had happened to the girl's voice to make it go all shrill and painful, at least to those who had to listen to her speak.

"You still look great," her friend said comfortingly. "You don't have to speak until the question section and then…" she trailed off, apparently at a loss for how to fix the situation.

Bloom bit her lip in sympathy and asked, "What happened?"

The pair glanced over at them, the contestant's eyes full of tears.

"She tried to cast a spell," the friend explained.

"But I got it wrong," the contestant wailed, making everyone wince. "I said "voice" instead of "choice". And it won't wear off until tomorrow. Maybe it's not that bad?"

"It's pretty bad," Stella muttered, hands over her ears.

Unfortunately, the contestant heard her, and with an ear-splitting cry she took off down the hallway, her friend running after her, but not before shooting Stella a venomous look.

"Sorry," the blonde called after them, but received no response.

They were about to head back into the dressing room to do last minute preparations, but paused at the sight of three familiar witches strolling down the hallway. As the two groups caught sight of each other, the fairies braced for attack but the Trix merely wiggled their fingers in a mocking greeting and sauntered along.

"That can't be good," Stella said, frowning after them.

"It doesn't matter now," Tecna said briskly, pushing Stella into the dressing room. "You have to be backstage and lining up in five minutes."

Ten minutes later and Bloom, Tecna, Musa, and Flora were taking their seats in the audience all struggling to sit still as they watched the host bound onstage smiling widely, the spotlight hitting him and practically illuminating his suit.

"I can't believe how nervous I am for Stella," Bloom muttered to the others, her knee jiggling with impatience as the host welcomed them to the show and started rabbiting on about the many sponsors.

"I too find myself anxious, oddly enough," Tecna murmured back.

Finally the host started to get down to business. "Tonight fifteen beautiful, young women will battle for the title of Miss Magix! We have just one rule: no magic, no charms, no spells, no incantations, no conjurations, and no metamorphosis. Miss Magix will be chosen for her natural beauty." The host leaned closer to the crowd conspiratorially as though he was sharing a secret with one person, instead of a massive crowd. "And that means natural, not supernatural. Now without any further ado, I give you this year's contestants!"

The host swept a hand to the side and on cue the first contestant stepped out from the curtains and began to saunter across the stage, smiling widely and waving to the cheering crowds. As each contestant stepped out, the host called out their name and number, occasionally adding an extra tidbit of information or offering them a compliment. Finally, it was Stella's turn as contestant number 12.

"And now I give you Solaria's very own Princess, title holder, and last year's first runner up, Princess Stella of Solaria!"

There was a noticeable increase in cheering as Stella stepped out with her megawatt smile in place, as the crowd obviously recognised her from last year. Bloom was relieved to see the judges near the front nodding in approval at Stella. When she reached the other side of the stage she took her place beside the other contestants.

The only contestant who came close to that level of reaction from the crowd was the contestant from Popularis who the crowd practically roared for when she came out last. Even from the audience Bloom could see Stella's smile become fixed as a couple of teenage hero's leapt to their feet and let out ear-splitting whistles, making Miss Popularis blush daintily.

"These young ladies are not only the most beautiful, but they're also super talented as you'll see over the course of the night! We have to say goodbye for now but these lovely contestants will be back very soon for the swimsuit section."

The crowd burst into applause once more as the contestants strutted back off stage. The girls got to their feet in the audience and followed the other mother's and friends who were also heading back-stage to help prepare their contestants for the next section.

The second Stella stepped off stage her smile dropped to a scowl as she stomped over to her friends.

"Did you hear the crowd?" she hissed.

"Yeah, they loved you," Bloom replied trying to lead Stella back to the dressing room.

"They loved Miss Popularis," Stella countered, swinging around to glare at the aforementioned contestant as she stepped off stage herself. And she wasn't the only one to do so; just about every other teenager (and their mothers) was glaring at her, though she didn't seem to notice.

"Hi," Bloom said to Miss Popularis as she passed, noticing she didn't have anyone with her. "Are you having a nice time?"

But the girl just gave her a short once over and an unimpressed huff before brushing past. Bloom felt her eyebrows rise in surprise.

"I thought you said people from Popularis were friendly?"

"Not happening," Stella growled, making to go after her. "No one disses my girl like that."

Sighing the others held her back and waited for Miss Popularis to get out of sight before leading the infuriated fairy back to the dressing room to get ready.

Luckily enough Stella seemed able to channel her irritation with Miss Popularis into her performance and flew through the next two sections with flying colours. Not so fortunately, the contestant from Popularis was also doing well, and with no major slip-ups from any of the other competitors it was hard to determine who would come out on top.

"This is not good," Stella sighed, as she stepped off stage, silvery blue evening dress swishing around her and took the bottle of water Bloom offered her. While she hadn't been doing anything too strenuous, the stage lights were scorching hot and all the beauty queens were gulping down water to stay hydrated.

"Don't worry," Musa coached as they made their way back to the dressing room. "You've still got the talent contest to go and that's bound to have a few mistakes in it. From the others," she added hastily, when Stella shot her a glare. "Not you, because you're going to be perfect."

Surprisingly, the further into the night they got, the more invested the girls became until they were all but acting like the stage parents around them. They all fussed around her in the dressing room, making sure every curl sat just so, and watched anxiously from the audience when it was Stella's turn.

Now, standing there, they scrutinised Stella in her talent costume: orange jeans, a denim button up, it's tails tied to reveal her midriff, high heeled cowboy boots, and a ten gallon hat, an outfit that reminded Bloom strongly off old western movies but was told represented the culture present on one of Solaria's three moons.

Noticing that the other contestants were starting to head for side stage, they wished Stella luck and leaving her to join the competitors they hurried back to the audience so they could take their seats just in time for the host to glide back onstage.

"Now who could forget last year's acapella singing, ice skating, miming, and tongue twisters?! Let's see what happens this year at our exciting talent contest! Our first contestant hails from a realm that claims to be at the center of the universe, Miss Narcissia!"

The aforementioned contestant ran on stage wearing a leotard and waving enthusiastically to the cheering crowd before taking her place in the centre of the stage.

"Miss Narcissia will present a symphony of gymnastics!" the host announced before moving to the side of the stage as many large blocks appeared around her, most taller than the contestant herself.

The contestant raised her arms, like a gymnast might before they started a routine, then she kicked off from the ground and executed a perfect backflip onto the cube directly behind her, touching down with a single eerie note of sound. From there she leapt and flipped from one block to another, more beautiful, melodious notes accompany her every landing.

While the crowd was stunned into silence, three witches slumped in their chairs watching the stage with bored, glazed over eyes.

"Icy," Stormy whined into the blonde's ear. "This is so boring."

"Yeah, can't we do something to make it a bit more interesting," Darcy added.

"Well," Icy said slowly, eyeing the stage dangerously. "Every performance needs a grand finale." She turned to Darcy expectantly. "Care to do the honours?"

"With pleasure," Darcy purred, focussing on the stage where the contestant's routine was winding down.

For a split second, Darcy's eyes flashed purple and the contestant's landing mat on the stage gave a little shiver but as enraptured by the performer as the crowd was no one seemed to notice. But when Miss Narcissia flipped from the final cube and attempted to land, the mat all but threw her off again and she landed in a crumpled heap on the stage. The Trix cackled loudly while others gasped, earning themselves many dirty looks as Miss Narcissia picked herself up and blushing a furious red, gave a small bow before running off stage.

"Oh dear," the host mumbled as he retook centre stage. "That was actually quite good until the ending… Anyway," he continued loudly. "Our next contestant is Augine, who hails from an underwater community in the Magix River! It's hard to believe but Augine has never walked on solid ground before tonight!"

A striking looking Naiad stepped out on stage in time to soft music reminiscent of the lapping noise of water. She had pale blue skin, thick hair, and her legs glittered a darker blue like they were scaled. The crowd oohed and aahed at her confident steps, intersected occasionally by the naiad striking a pose. The Trix rolled their eyes at the audience's easily bought praise.

"Well, she can walk, let's see if she can skate." Icy's fingers twitched and a thin layer of ice immediately formed on the bottom of the naiad's heels. Augine didn't make it more than a few more steps before she was slipping all over the stage before finally managing to get herself off.

"I guess not," Icy remarked primly as the contestant flailed out of sight.

The Trix immediately burst into raucous laughter again. After that it was game on for them. The next contestant came out juggling several bowling pins, but a well timed electric jolt from Stormy caused a missthrow and then they were all coming down on the poor girl's head. A simple spell from Darcy turned the next contestants singing doves against her and they immediately chased her off stage.

On the other side of the audience Musa, Flora, Tecna, and Bloom winced as they watched the massacre unfolding on stage. One contestant's voice died on her two notes in, while another's dog turned around and sunk it's teeth into her ankle. Contestants were getting entangled in their juggling rings, and falling off the edge of the stage left, right, and centre. There was supposed to be a questions section at the end of each routine, but the contestant's were barely managing to make it off the stage without serious injury let alone stay and answer questions.

Finally there were only two contestants left.

The crowd held it's breath as Miss Popularis was announced and she walked onstage in her pretty pink tutu and ballet slippers. There wasn't a sound as she performed her routine, all waiting for the inevitable disaster. But Miss Popularis' routine went off without a hitch and when she hit her final pose and the last note of the song faded away the crowd leapt to their feet with thundering applause. Miss Popularis stayed and answered questions sounding sweet and dainty, and managing to make the crowd laugh one moment and swoon the next before prancing off stage.

In the audience, the four friends exchanged worried glances; Stella was really going to have to nail this if she wanted to win.

"And now, for our final contestant tonight, Princess Stella! Performing the dance of the Great Western Moon of Solaria!"

The twang of country music started and from the get-go the crowd was into it, clapping along to the beat and many young guys whistling. The routine was far from disaster free however, at one point some of the stage lights blew out, but Stella didn't even flinch and kept going. Then an access trapdoor on the stage fell open just inches from where Stella was about to step but she managed to avoid it. Right at the end the music cut out early but Stella just kept dancing to the clapping beat provided by the audience before finally striking her final pose. Again the crowd was on their feet, yelling and cheering for Stella while the host came back on stage carefully skirting around the piles of broken glass.

"What a great dance!" he was saying enthusiastically. Stella smiled back and said a thank you. "Now, we just have one question for you, Princess. What would you do if you won Miss Magix?"

Unbeknownst to Stella or her friends, the Trix, infuriated that they hadn't managed to ruin Stella's routine cast a quick spell on her so when Stella tried to answer all that came out was gibberish. Bloom and the others gaped at their friend in confusion while a strange look passed over her face and she shook her head as if trying to clear it.

The host saved the day however by piping up, "Wow, amazing, she can even speak backwards. She said, she would use her position to raise awareness on important issues such as poverty, and dimension-wide peace. What a multi-talented young girl!" The host thanked Stella and ushered her off stage before retaking his spot. "And that concludes the final portion of the evening, and I think we can all agree that this year's pageant has been quite… special. There will now be a short break as the judges scores are tabulated."

The curtain dropped, hiding the host from view and instantly the audience broke into chatter, many discussing who they thought would take home the crown. Tecna, Flora, and Musa were all too nervous to talk, and Bloom while nervous also had something else that was troubling her. The contestant from Popularis had been an odd addition from the start, with her last minute entrance, to her cool demeanour, but Bloom might have been able to brush that aside if it hadn't been for her talent section performance. Every single contestant aside from Miss Popularis and Stella, had had their performance end in disaster, and even Stella's had been riddled with small mistakes. But Miss Popularis' had been perfect throughout and Bloom was starting to wonder if perhaps there might be other magical forces at work. The curtain rose again before Bloom could share her worries with the other girls, revealing the contestants lined up - with many toting bandages - and the as always exuberant host.

"How about a big round of applause for all our lovely contestants!" the host yelled, casting a sympathetic glance at the bruised and battered crop of beauty queens while the audience clapped obediently. "And now finally, the moment we've all been waiting for!" The host brandished a large, gold envelope and ripped it open theatrically. "And this year's Miss Magic is… Miss Popularis!"

Bloom exchanged sorrowful looks with her friends while the crowd broke into enthusiastic applause and Miss Popularis clapped her hands to her mouth in the perfect show of humble surprise. Further down the line Stella's smile faltered, but only for a moment and she was able to quickly paste a smile back on her face. Bloom's stomach jolted with a pang of sympathy for her friend.

As Miss Popularis sashayed forward to accept her crown, sash, and flowers, Bloom started thinking hard. She could remember from charms class, a spell that when cast would strip away any other spells. Bloom's mind raced, trying to decide the best way to phrase the spell; Madame Elaina was always yelling at them about the proper syntax in incantations.

Summoning her magic, Bloom started to recite under her breath, " _If there's magic here, remove it now, show us what's real when she takes a bow!"_

There was no noticeable effect at first, but the minute Miss Popularis took her bow her image flickered as if they were looking at her through a glitching computer screen before her disguise melted away, leaving behind a gawky looking teenager with the sharp features of a witch. At once the audience's applause died away and howls of outrage replaced it, calling for the imposter to be removed.

"Miss Popularis is disqualified for the improper use of spells in the competition," the host announced, taking back the crown, sash and flowers.

The girl's eyes filled with tears before she ran off the stage and all at once Bloom felt a stab of pity for the witch. She obviously hadn't done it for malicious reasons but still Bloom couldn't condone her cheating.

Elsewhere, the Trix felt no such sympathy for Lucy.

"Huh," Stormy remarked, at the surprising turn of events.

"I bet it was those dumb pixies," Darcy speculated, but she didn't sound too annoyed about it.

"Oh well," Icy replied carelessly, standing and leading the other two towards the exit. "We got to torment a bunch of beauty queen pixies, and that loser is still doing our homework. It's a win in my opinion."

Darcy and Stormy nodded their agreement and followed Icy out.

On stage and off it, there was chaos as everyone tried to work out what happened now. The host leaned down from the stage, conferring with the judges and trying to work out who the first runner up was.

"As a result of these stunning turn of events, the title of Miss Magic will go to the contestant with the next highest score, which is contestant number 12, Stella, Princess of Solaria!"

Bloom, Musa, Tecna, and Flora surged to their feet, whooping and clapping loudly as Stella, proud as punch stepped up to accept her crown, tears of happiness starting to slide down her cheeks.

"She actually did it," Bloom shrieked, throwing her arms around Flora who was jumping up and down. Musa and Tecna meanwhile were doing some sort of happy dance.

* * *

"There's our queen," Musa beamed, the epitome of the proud mother when Stella finally joined them outside after collecting her stuff from the dressing room. Other contestants nearby shot her barely disguised looks of venom but none of them seemed to notice.

"I'd like to thank the little people," Stella sighed happily, throwing her arms around them for a group hug. "Bloom, Tecna, Flora, and Musa, I couldn't have done it without you guys. And I say I treat you all to milkshakes before curfew."

Bloom narrowed her eyes at Stella and wasn't the only one from the group to do it. When Stella remained oblivious Bloom coughed pointedly, and again, and again when Stella started chattering about a great place she knew.

"Bloom," Stella said sounding concerned. "Did you lose your voice?"

"Did you lose your memory?" Bloom shot back not unkindly. "Remember our deal? You have to get home and study for tomorrow."

"Oh," Stella said, disappointment clouding her expression. "Right."

* * *

The next morning the five friends shuffled into the amphitheater all toting sunglasses to shade their bloodshot eyes from the overly bright room. They found seats in the stands and collapsed into them with simultaneous groans. They'd all stayed up until the early hours of the morning, drilling spells, and potions, and strategies into Stella until they were convinced the blonde could handle anything the test would throw at her. Now though they were wondering if maybe a few more hours of sleep would have been just as beneficial as all that study.

Palladium stood at the desk and surveyed them all seriously. "So far, we've had one student fail, and with many of you left to go today, I certainly hope you've all studied enough to ensure that doesn't happen to you." Palladium's eyes swept the class before catching on Stella. "Stella!" he said, clearly surprised. "It's nice to see you in class today. Why don't we start with you?"

"Why don't we?" Stella mumbled half-sarcastically under her breath but got to her feet nevertheless, sliding off her sunglasses to reveal her red eyes and the dark shadows beneath them.

"I do hope you're prepared for this," Palladium said as he lead her, as well as Bloom, Musa, Tecna, and Flora who were going to watch her test out of moral support up to the chamber.

"You and me both, Professor," Stella replied with a hastily stifled yawn.

While Stella took her place in the chamber, and Palladium set the computer up and told Stella a bit about the desert planet she was being sent to, the others slumped against the back wall of the control room, yawning and really just fighting to stay awake.

"I'm starting the program now, Stella," Palladium said into the intercom. "Do your best to survive."

With that, Palladium tapped the final button and the lights in the control room dimmed while the chamber grew brighter and brighter as it's environment morphed.

The first thing Stella noticed about the planet she was sent to was the heat. It would have been all but unbearable to anyone else, but coming from Solaria, where even the winters were warm, and the summers brutal, the heat here was manageable. The dirt beneath her feet was dry and cracked and the few plants she could see around were brown and dead-looking.

"I'm not just here to survive," Stella said to herself, as she glanced around again. "I'm going to ace this test."

She pulled several vials from the pouch on her belt, and held them up deciding which to use first. Finally she selected a vibrant red potion, that, if she was remembering correctly would hydrate the ground and allow grass and other plants to grow easier. After depositing the other potions back in the case and unstoppering the hydration potion she paused, brain foggy with exhaustion as she tried to remember how much was needed. She shrugged to herself and upended the vial, figuring that more was always better and not realising that up in the control room her friends were wincing.

She quickly conjured up first some rain, and then some sunshine to activate the potion. After that it didn't take very long at all to start working, luscious green grass shooting up almost instantly. The only problem was that once the grass started growing, it didn't seem obliged to stop anytime soon and very quickly the grass was up to Stella's waist and showing no signs of slowing down.

"Oh, damn," Stella swore, hands fluttering around as she tried to think of a spell to stop the grass. Barely another minute passed and the grass was well over Stella's head, with the fairy screaming at the top of her lungs as darkness descended on her.

There was brief mechanical whir, the environment around her shimmering, and the grass and everything else disappeared, only to be replaced a moment later with the familiar sight of the chamber. Stella sighed, her shoulders drooping as she stood dripping wet and covered in grass in the chamber.

"Stella, are you alright?" Palladium called through the intercom.

"Yeah," Stella called back, disappointment colouring her tone as she wondered how long she'd managed to get into the test before disaster had struck. She didn't think it had been very long, and didn't have high hopes for passing. Heaving another heavy sigh, Stella headed for the exit, finding her friends waiting for her on the other side. "I might have overdone it with the potion," she joked weakly as she stepped out of the chamber. Despite her wet state, the other girls didn't hesitate to draw her into a comforting group hug.

"You did show promise," Palladium told her, as they all listened to the computer beep and whir while it deliberated on her mark. "And I can tell you studied. It's just a shame it had to end like that."

"It's going to be close isn't it," Stella whimpered, and resisted the urge to cover her eyes.

Palladium didn't answer, eyes glued to one of the computer screens. "And here it is," Palladium said slowly, reading the results. A small smile spread across Palladium's face as he turned to Stella. "You passed, Stella."

"Oh, thank god." Stella let out a big exhale and all but collapsed into Bloom's arms, who chuckled and congratulated her.

"It's not a great mark," Palladium continued sternly. "But considering the circumstances… and you'll have plenty of opportunities to make up the marks."

"Thanks Sir!" Stella yelled gleefully and skipped from the room, the others trailing after her.

"Send in Amaryl please," Palladium called after them.

They burst out of the stairwell, chattering excitedly, and after sending Amaryl up for her exam, retook their seats in the bleachers. While Stella chattered excitedly about her pass mark and the upcoming holidays, Bloom's phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to reveal a text from Brandon.

 _ **Brandon:**_ _Me and the guys are heading into the city this afternoon. Was wondering if you and the others wanted to join us?_

A smile spread across Bloom's face. "Hey, guys," she said, eyes still tracing the words of the text. "The guys want to know if we want to meet them in town this afternoon?"

"Great way to start the break, in my opinion," Stella said and the others nodded their agreement.

Grinning, Bloom typed back a reply.

 _ **Bloom:**_ _Sounds perfect :)_

* * *

 **I'm baaaaack guys. It feels like it's been forever since I posted, but it's only been around a month, which is pretty normal for me. I hope you liked the chapter, there's only one more before certain secrets get spilled *evil cackle*. Anyway I have a question for you guys, what are your favourite Winx Club LGBT couples? I myself love some Bloom/Stella, Layla/Musa, Lucy/Mirta, Faragonda/Griffin, Nabu/Riven, and Riven/Sky. Anyway let me know your answers, as well as what you thought of the chapter by leaving a review xx**


	14. Chapter 14

The Magix City Transport Station was a large cavernous hall, stretching farther than the eye could see and absolutely packed full of people. Fairies, witches, heroes, wizards, trolls, ogres, goblins, gremlins, Alfea, Red Fountain, and Cloud Tower students all jostling and jockeying for the quickest way home. Workers, identifiable by their identical navy blue uniforms, rushed too and fro, selling tickets, shepherding people into lines, performing security checks, interspersed by extra police officers brought in specifically during the busy season to ensure that no fights broke out.

Bloom watched the chaos, one hand clutched tightly around her suitcase, the other keeping a vice-like grip on her ticket, the thick card that was her key to spending Christmas with her parents. The ticket vendor had blinked up at her in surprise when she'd requested a ticket to Earth, before taking her money and telling her that there would be no wait time, while the others were looking at anywhere between 20 minutes and an hour.

There were only four of them as they pushed through the teeming crowds; Brandon, Sky, and Stella were all taking royal spacecrafts back to their home planets, and Timmy was taking a spacebus back to his hometown.

"So, remind me again why the others are using spaceships instead of the gates?" Bloom half-yelled over the echoing voices of the crowd.

"With the speed of modern day ships the trip won't take them more than half a day, but still that's much longer than using the gates," Tecna replied. "But space travel is considered grander, and besides the people like watching their Princes and Princesses returning to them. They love to make it into a spectacle." Tecna's voice was filled with scorn.

Agreeing that it seemed a little dramatic, Bloom continued pushing through the crowd as she searched for her gate. Doorways full of swirly grey fog lined both parallel walls, with security checkpoints and long trailing lines in front of each one. Gleaming, gold plaques overhead labelled the gate number and destination.

"Earth will be further down," Flora advised her, wincing when an impatient witch almost sent her sprawling. "They're arranged roughly by popularity."

Bloom checked her ticket and sure enough her gate number was well into the hundreds. First to peel off from the group was Flora, when after only a few minutes they reached the Linphea gate with a modest line attached. She hugged each of them and left, but not before she made them all promise to stay in touch over the break. They were only spending two weeks apart, but Bloom understood her sentiment entirely; after rooming together for the last 4 months together it was hard to imagine a single day apart let alone 14 of them. Musa was next, saying goodbye slightly less emotionally and just offering Bloom and Tecna each a fist bump before she shrugged her backpack higher and headed for the end of her own line. Tecna wasn't a very touchy-feely person, so Bloom was surprised when Tecna paused at her own gate, bit her lip, and turned to Bloom, worry etched on her features.

"Are you going to be alright on your own?"

"I'll be fine, Tec," she assured her friend.

Tecna regarded her with serious, grey eyes. "Earth isn't that much further. I could walk you."

Bloom's eyes flickered to the Zenith line; it wasn't nearly as long as Musa's or Flora's had been but even in the short time Bloom watched it she saw four more people join it, with more looking to head it's way. Mind made up, she shook her head firmly.

"I'll be fine. You get home to your family."

"If you're sure…" Tecna said, still sounding unsure as she took a hesitant step towards the end of her line.

"I'm sure. And hey," Bloom added catching her wrist and pulling Tecna into a short hug, mindful of the impatient crowd milling around them, reminding them to keep moving. "Have a good break."

"You too, Bloom," Tecna said, hugging her back.

It didn't take Bloom too much longer to find the Earth gate, it was after all the only one that didn't have a line attached to it. Bloom walked up to the abandoned security desk, dropped her luggage, and drummed her fingers against the metal table, looking around for anyone to help her. A worker from the next line over, a popular holiday destination called something with way too many z's and not enough vowels for Bloom, met her eye and hurried over, ignoring the grumbling of the long line.

"So sorry, Miss," she said, tapping at the computer. "We hadn't expected anyone to be going to Earth this time of year," she explained, glancing up at her fleetingly. "Family trip?"

"Something like that," Bloom mumbled, not wanting to explain the long story, and handed over her ticket.

Noting the evil looks the people from the next line over were shooting her, the frazzled worker hurriedly scanned her ticket and then ran her through the rules of visiting Earth, the main one being that she was strictly prohibited from using magic in front of Earthlings under threat of punishment from the The Council for the Protection of Peace in the Magical Dimension. Bloom nodded vaguely to it all, and finally tuned in when the worker gestured her towards the swirling grey mass.

"Gardenia, right? Right, so transport to Earth is much harder because you can't just pop into existence over there. So instead we transport you right into a very crowded train about to pull up, and 9 times out of 10 you aren't noticed in the chaos."

"And the tenth time?" Bloom asked nervously.

The worker smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. Even if a human does see you, they'll think it's just their eyes playing tricks on you." The angry grumbling from beside them increased tenfold and the worker shifted anxiously. She checked her watch and said, "I'm sorry, but I really have to get back to the other line. Will you be fine to get through on your own? You have to be going in the next 30 seconds, Miss," she continued before Bloom could answer and hurried back to the other line.

Bloom huffed a sigh, unable to be mad at the worker when she could see the abuse the poor girl was getting for daring to serve someone else for a few minutes. Bloom gathered up her backpack and suitcase, faced the doorway with no small amount of trepidation but then before she could talk herself out of it, or ponder too long on how this whole thing could go wrong she stepped forward, plunging into the grey.

The sensation was disorientating to say the least; wind whistled past Bloom, whipping her hair around and all she could see was grey fog surrounding her and pressing in on her which turned her stomach so she shut her eyes and prayed for it all to stop.

And then thankfully it did, her feet touched down on solid ground, there was the sudden presence of other people, and the wind was replaced with the babble of noises and clatter of the train. Bloom blinked her eyes open and was relieved to see that as the worker had assured her no one on the train had noticed her sudden appearance, many already busying themselves with their luggage as the train pulled into the station. Only a little boy in the booth across the aisle seemed to have any idea that something magical had occurred; he was staring at her, mouth open and eyes wide, already tugging at his mother's skirt to get her attention. Just as Bloom started to panic, the mother seized the boy's hand and started tugging him towards the exit, dragging their luggage behind her. Shaking her head with a smile, Bloom picked up her own things and joined the stream of people heading for the doors.

Once she was off, Bloom just stood on the station for a moment, dragging in deep lungfuls of air; somehow, inextricably, Bloom thought that the air tasted different than in the Magical Dimension, not better or worse, just different.

"Bloom! Over here, Bloom!"

The loud, familiar voice pulled her out of her reverie and she spun around to find her parents waving at her enthusiastically from the other side of the platform. Despite the stares she was now receiving, Bloom grinned and started towards them, weaving between people, dropping her bags when she reached them, and throwing herself into their waiting embrace. They pressed into her from both sides and she breathed a sigh of comfort as she buried her face into their shoulders; she'd missed this.

"I missed you guys," she mumbled, still holding them tight as she allowed herself to finally acknowledge the ache of homesickness that had shrunk over the months away but had never fully disappeared.

"Oh, we missed you too, honey," Vanessa replied, stroking a hand through her hair.

"Four months really is much too long to go without seeing my favourite daughter," Mike rumbled on her side.

"I'm your only daughter," Bloom reminded him and finally pulled away so she could get a look at her parents. Whatever she'd been expecting, they still looked exactly the same, her dad still tall, blonde, and freckled, her mum still short, tanned, and brunette. "Come on, I'll bet you're itching to get home," Mike chuckled, stopping to pick up her suitcase while Vanessa grabbed her backpack, ignoring Bloom's protests.

Regardless of Mike's words, they ended up taking the long way home, trawling through Gardenia so her parents could point out all the things that had changed or gone on in the four months she'd been away. But surprisingly little had happened, or perhaps not so surprisingly Bloom reconsidered, considering how small a town Gardenia was. Though possibly Bloom was being unfair, Gardenia wasn't quite what you would consider a town, it had several large office buildings, a not unimpressively sized shopping mall, and a train station; a strange mix of city and town, urban combined with suburbia. It wasn't large and sprawling like Los Angeles or San Diego but Bloom had spent many a days riding her bike around, losing herself in the people (many familiar to her and calling her by name) and the streets.

Gardenia, which had always felt just a tad small to Bloom, had suddenly become even smaller. The sights were familiar, and as she hung out the window taking it all in, many of those walking the streets called greetings out to her and welcomed her back. But there was something different about it all, the shops seemed just slightly smaller, the town even more quaint, something unfamiliar in it's familiarity. The large and unknown Magix City had been comforting, boundless in what she could discover, but here she knew it all already, had walked each of the sidewalks a thousand times before, had had countless conversations with the people who lived there, it was all just a little _too_ familiar, and in turn different at how discouraged that made Bloom feel. Sighing, she wound up the window and couldn't repress a sigh of relief when her father steered the car towards home. It wasn't until they were pulling into the garage that it occured to Bloom that pmaybe it wasn't Gardenia that had changed at all, perhaps it was her who had changed.

Being back in her room was better, sure there were belongings here and there that were missing because she'd left them at Alfea, and there was no room-mate to trip over, but her room was her room. She'd already seen all the changes it could possibly go through, from a nursery with a crib and change table, and a toddler's room scattered with toys, to a young teenager's with boybands and actors lining the walls, to now. Bloom tossed her bags down onto her bed, resolving to unpack them later and headed back downstairs again.

But she paused in the hallway, just out of sight of the kitchen and living room when she heard her parents speaking quietly. Bloom wasn't usually on to eavesdrop but there was something about the tone her parents were speaking in that made her stomach clench and had her sagging back against the wall.

"... have to head into the station," Mike was saying.

"I thought we were going to talk to Bloom about-"

"I know, I know, but I can't leave the squad a man down. You talk to her about it this afternoon and we'll all sit down and discuss it as a family tonight when I get home."

"Okay," Bloom heard Vanessa say unhappily.

Sensing that the conversation was over Bloom pushed away from the wall, waited a moment before walking into the living room, making sure to make as much a racket as possible on her way in. Her parents jumped away from each other guiltily upon her reappearance and broke into identical eager smiles.

"Good to be back into your old room?" Vanessa asked.

"Sure," Bloom replied easily. "What's up?" she continued, subtly telling them that she wasn't fooled.

Mike sighed and came over to rest his hands on Bloom's shoulders. "I'm sorry, honey. I wanted to be here for your first day home but I have to head into the station for a few hours. _But_ I'll be home for dinner," he assured her.

"It's fine, Dad," Bloom said, laughing slightly at her obvious concern. "We have two weeks to spend together. I bet you'll be sick of me by then."

"I highly doubt that," Mike said seriously, though the twitching of his lips' betrayed his amusement. "Alright, I have to go," he sighed and kissed Bloom on the forehead. He kissed Vanessa, picked up his work bag, and headed out.

"I guess it's just the two of us," Vanessa said with a small smile after a long moment of silence. She'd watched Mike leave without a comment but Bloom knew her mum was worried, like she always was when her dad went to work. "I was going to start dinner, if you wanted to chill for a few hours."

"I'll help," Bloom volunteered quickly, repelled by the thought of spending her first hours home by herself.

" _You're_ volunteering to help with dinner?" Vanessa asked with an arched eyebrow and an amused smile. "What did that school do to you?"

"Maybe I matured while I was away," Bloom shot back playfully, following Vanessa into the kitchen.

"Maybe," Vanessa hummed and started to pull things out of the fridge. When she turned and saw Bloom still standing there, looking expectant, she shrugged, and said, "If you want to help… I'm making a pot roast."

Bloom moaned and practically started to salivate at the thought; the food at Alfea was good but it had nothing on Vanessa's potroast, with meat cooked to perfection, roasted veggies, and baked potatoes it was the stuff of legend in their family.

"If we prep the veggies and potatoes now, we can sit down, maybe watch a movie while the meat's cooking."

"Sound good to me," Bloom grinned. It had started to rain, as it tended to do in winter in California and nothing was more appealing to Bloom in that moment then cuddling up with her mum and a good movie on a rainy afternoon.

Vanessa plonked a bag of carrots down in front of Bloom which Bloom got to work on while Vanessa started peeling potatoes having put the meat into the oven while Bloom had been in her room. While Bloom ached to ask straight away what Vanessa wanted to talk to her about, she knew doing so would just make her mum clam up and so endured Vanessa's grilling about school, seemingly convinced that Bloom had been keeping certain details to herself.

"You must have been very scared," Vanessa said, sounding troubled, after Bloom told her about the witches disrupting her test. They'd heard about it from the school of course, but Bloom had given her a rundown of the situation.

She shrugged at the question, pausing in her chopping. "Yeah, I was," she said slowly. "But I feel like it made me stronger."

"Witches, mysteries, this dragon…"

"Dragon flame," Bloom supplied."

"Right, you've got so much going on. But you're being careful?"

"Of course, Mum. This sort of thing happens all the time between Alfea and Cloud Tower students."

Vanessa's eyes narrowed. "And you're keeping your grades up? Not wasting too much time on mythical powers?"

Bloom laughed, glad that in some ways her mother hadn't changed. "Yeah. Oh, look at this," she said, remembering the report card she'd been given before she'd left Alfea that morning and dug it out of her back pocket. "Passed all my midterms, and even got a 90% on Magical Reality," Bloom said proudly, showing Vanessa.

"Wow, Bloom," Vanessa said, eyes roving over the numbers. "I'm so proud of you, sweetie." She threw her arms around Bloom, squeezing her tight.

After a moment they pulled away, Vanessa handed back the report back, and the both went back to working on the dinner.

"Bloom, honey," Vanessa said after a moment and sensing that they had reached what Vanessa wanted to talk most about Bloom remained silent. "I wanted to talk to about something, it's been on mine and your dad's minds for a while now."

"Sure," Bloom said, trying to sound casual. "Go ahead."

"It's about when we adopted you…"

"The greatest day of your life?" Bloom teased, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

It worked and Vanessa grinned. "Of course it was. You were such a cute baby," she continued, sounding nostalgic now. "And you grew up so fast."

"Mum," Bloom started to say, but broke off when an acrid smell assaulted her nostrils. She wrinkled her nose and set the knife down. "Mum, is something burning?"

Bloom heard her mum's knife clatter on the counter just as she looked around and saw the smoke spilling from the oven.

"Oh my god, the roast!" Vanessa yelped, darting forward before stumbling right back again when the fire in the oven grew.

Bloom's brain kicked into overdrive and she forced out all flickers of panic. "Stand back, Mum," Bloom barked, summoning her magic and getting a feel for the size of the fire. " _Flame-us Extinguish-us!"_ Bloom focussed all her energy on the fire and shrinking it.

"Honey," Vanessa cried out.

"Mum, I have to concentrate," Bloom said calmly, the the last of the flames disappearing under her steady hands. " _Aero-lux!"_ The smoke started to swirl around the kitchen, moving into a close swirl before abruptly disappearing with a flash of light. Without missing a beat Bloom walked over to the oven to make sure the fire was completely out and couldn't help but wince at the sight of the blackened mess inside. When she turned back around she found Vanessa slumped against the counter, looking very pale. "Mum," she said cautiously, touching her arm. "Are you okay?"

"That was amazing," she breathed, turning to her daughter with wide eyes.

"I only saved the kitchen. And I'm afraid the roast didn't make it."

"Never mind that," Vanessa said impatiently, flapping a hand. "You saved us."

Bloom smiled graciously and lead Vanessa from the kitchen. "What do you say we put that movie on now and just order a pizza tonight?"

"Sounds perfect, honey," Vanessa replied.

Together they opened all the windows of the house to let the lingering burnt smell out and cuddled up together under a blanket watching one of their favourite rom-coms.

* * *

Things got better over the following days and it slowly became easier for Bloom to be home, things weren't exactly back to the way it was before, but Bloom figured that didn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. Every minute that it wasn't raining Bloom spent on her bike, pedalling all over the city, requainting herself with her favourite spots, and catching up with her old friends. Of course, the one person Bloom was hoping to avoid in Gardenia found her only a few days into the trip home.

"Well, look who it is,"an unfortunately familiar voice drawled.

Bloom rolled to a stop reluctantly but didn't dismount from her bike as she glanced around to meet the eyes of Mitzi. She was sitting on a large front porch of an equally large and lavish house, and Bloom couldn't say she was surprised considering how stuck up she was.

Bloom forced herself to smile and wave. "Hi, Mitzi. How have you been?"

"I think the better question is where have you been?" Mitzi asked in her annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"Away," Bloom said vaguely, then realising that Mitzi would twist whatever she said and then spread it all over Gardenia she added, "New boarding school on the East coast. Anyway, I'd better get going-"

"Wait a minute," Mitzi ordered and hurried off the porch to stand in the way of Bloom's bike. "There's a rumour going around, you know, that you were sent away to reform school."

Bloom fought the urge to roll her eyes. "It's not a reform school," she told Mitiz, unable to keep the disdain out of her voice.

"Well everyone's wondering why you left in such a hurry. It seems like you'd only do that if you had something to hide."

"Look, I was on a few wait lists when I heard a call that I'd been accepted but the term was about to begin and they could only hold my spot for so long, so I had to leave straight away. I told all my friends this anyway, so I know there are no rumours and that you're full of shi-"

"Now, now," Mitzi said, deviously calm even as Bloom could feel herself going red as she got herself worked up. "You know I'm gonna find out eventually, right?"

"Whatever," Bloom said shortly. "You waste your time trying to find out a secret that doesn't exist while I try and avoid you, okay?" She swerved her bike around Mitzi without another word and took off down the street.

Bloom headed for her mum's flower shop to have lunch with her like they'd planned, pulling up short outside when she saw a shiny limo parked by the curb. Bloom frowned at it as she swung her leg over the bike and wondered what is was doing outside her mum's flower shop. She was about to go over and ask the driver who she could see sitting in the car if he needed any help or directions when his gaze abruptly shifted to meet hers and Bloom recoiled at the hard look he gave her. Trying to shake off the weird feeling growing inside her, Bloom decided against talking to the driver and hurriedly chained up her bike and headed inside.

Inside, Vanessa was caught up with a customer, gesturing to flowers on the shelves. She caught sight of Bloom over the customer's shoulder, offered an apologetic smile, and held up a finger, asking her to wait. Bloom nodded and was about to take a seat on the counter when she hear voices coming from the back office. Vanessa all but ran the flower shop on her own - only bringing extra help in during the busy seasons, like Valentine's day, or on the odd occasion that she had a large order to fill - and with her still engrossed with the customer there should have been no one back there, so Bloom slipped off to investigate.

In the back corridor, Bloom paused in front of the door to the office which had been left ajar. Through the gap she could see two men, similar looking but father and son she thought judging by one's white hair and the other's brown. They were both hunched over Vanessa's desk which while usually impeccable was covered with scattered paper.

"You've checked the contract haven't you?" the elder man was saying, voice quiet but gruff.

"Relax," the younger snickered loudly, obviously not nearly as worried. "It's really amazing how foolish people are when you promise them the world," he continued.

"Just make sure the deal gets signed, then we'll kick her out of the pathetic flower-shop and make a bundle selling it to the highest bidder."

Bloom must have made a quiet noise of exclamation because the older man glanced over his shoulder, catching sight of her outside the door. His callous smirk melted away replaced with such an open smile that Bloom almost caught herself believing it.

"You must be the famous Bloom," he said, opening the door and gesturing for her to join them. "You look so much like your mother." Despite noticing the lie for what it was, Bloom didn't dare call him on it, especially after the man's son turned to look at her, and being a much poorer actor than his father barely covered up his anger.

"Yes," the younger man replied smoothly, eyes sweeping over Bloom in a way that made her want to shudder. "Your mother's told us so much about you." Somehow he managed to turn the simple statement into a barely concealed threat and Bloom took a careful step back.

"My mum sent me to tell you she's ready for you," Bloom lied robotically.

"Ah, perfect, let's get this show on the road then, shall me," the elder man grinned, throwing a heavy arm around Bloom's shoulders and steering her out of the office, leaving his son to sweep up the documents on the desk. "So has your mother told you about our little deal?"

"No, she hasn't told me a thing," Bloom said, slipping out from under the man's arm and escaping to Vanessa's side who had just finished up with her customer.

"Oh, Bloom, I've seen you've met the Mr Bonner's. Their going to become my future business partners."

"Really?" Bloom mumbled, swallowing roughly.

"Yes, your mother has agreed to sell us her flower shop," the elder Mr Bonner said, smiling at Vanessa encouragingly.

"Well, not entirely. They'll own the actual shop, but we'll co-own the shop name. We're hoping to create a whole chain of Vanessa's Flowers, with me running the original one.

Bloom's mouth felt bone-dry as the conversation she'd overhead played on a loop in her mind. "Wow," she heard herself say distantly. "That sounds really…" She was saved having to come up with an appropriate adjective by the reappearance of the younger Mr Bonner.

"Well, Vanessa everything seems to be in order, there's just one more document for you to sign then everything will be official."

"Perfect."

"Well, we can just run back to the office and drop them back, today if convenient."

"Today's perfect. Bring that last form right back and we'll be all set."

"Sure thing," the Mr Bonner's said together and showed themselves out.

"Pretty exciting, isn't it?" Vanessa said, turning to her daughter with a grin. "Your mother, a joint owner of a company."

Bloom tried to paste a smile on her face but even she could feel how fake it was. Her eyes caught on a box of flowers. "Do these go on the shelf?" she asked, bending over them.

"Yes, I was just about to- but Bloom, are you-"

"Cool! I'll get started on them now."

She grabbed a plastic pot in each hand and stood to put them on the shelf. Sensing something was wrong, Vanessa joined Bloom's at the shelf and wordlessly starting moving the plants.

"Honey, is everything alright?" Vanessa finally said after a moment.

"Everything's great." Bloom kept her eyes firmly on the plants even though she could feel Vanessa's gaze on the side of her face. "Why?"

"Well, for one thing, you haven't congratulated me yet. This partnership could be a very exciting opportunity for me."

"Mum," Bloom began, absently straightening the plants on the shelf until they were in perfect lines. "Did you have a lawyer or someone look over those documents."

"We were going to, but when your father and I looked over them it didn't seem overly complicated so we didn't end up bothering. Now, tell me what's going on."

Bloom abandoned the pots with a sigh and turned to lean up against the shelf. "When I first got to the flower shop, I went into the back office and I heard them talking. And they were saying how once the deal was signed they were going to force you out and make all this money selling the shop."

Vanessa flinched as though Bloom had struck her and for some reason Bloom felt the irrational urge to apologise. She bit the words back however and watched silently as Vanessa crossed the shop to the counter, pick up the document Bloom knew to be the contract, and calmly ripped it in two.

"Well, that's that then," Vanessa stated, feeding the pieces into the shredder.

Bloom's mouth dropped open. "That's it? You believe me, just like that?"

Vanessa blinked up at her. "Well, why wouldn't I, honey?" She crossed back over the room and took Bloom's face between her hands. "You're old enough to know what you heard and I certainly trust you alot more than I trust them."

* * *

Vanessa surprised Bloom when the Mr Bonner's came waltzing back into the shop less than half an hour later and she was much calmer than Bloom, who had spent the wait obsessively tidying the shop and was sitting rigidly behind the counter while Vanessa patiently explained that she'd changed her mind.

"I don't understand, Vanessa," the younger Mr Bonner said slowly, his expression one of irritation and bubbling rage.

"Yes," the elder Mr Bonner added, his voice carefully controlled. "Why _did_ you change your mind? We had a deal."

"We had a _deal_ , Vanessa," young Mr Bonner repeated.

"You said to bring the last document right back. Did something happen?" Elder Mr Bonner asked with a swift look at Bloom.

"No, nothing happened," Vanessa said airily. "This all came together so quickly that I hadn't really thought about it and I realised I like things just the way they are: a simple small town flower shop."

Bloom hated that her mother was playing the small town girl who'd gotten in over her head but she wasn't going to complain if it got rid of the Mr Bonner's.

"Things couldn't be simpler," the elder Mr Bonner said smoothly. "We just needed one more signature. Why don't you take the night to consider-"

"That won't be necessary. I like my business the way it is, and I'm sorry for wasting your time but I'm going to have to keep it that way."

"Look-" the younger Mr Bonner began furiously but his father laid a restraining hand on his forearm and he fell silent.

"We have a very real interest in your shop," the elder man said, eyes smouldering. "And we tend to get the things we want."

Vanessa stiffened and she peered at the Mr Bonner's as though seeing them for the first time. "What is that supposed to mean?" she said, obviously trying to remain calm but Bloom could hear the way her voice shook. What Vanessa didn't know was that her daughter had had her phone out and 911 dialled the entire time, ready to hit connect at a second's notice.

"Oh, nothing," the elder Mr Bonner said, feigning innocence but his smile was nowhere in sight and he was barely containing his fury. "It's just that there are other things that can be broken besides agreements."

On cue, the younger Mr Bonner's elbow shot out and knocked a pot plant from the corner of the counter and to the ground where it shattered. Bloom leapt from her seat, thumb inching towards the green button, and Vanessa gasped, hands going to her mouth.

"The Amomum Maximum!" Vanessa said in dismay.

"Oh, how clumsy of me," the younger Mr Bonner said not even bothering to hide his amusement.

Bloom's thumb wavered as she debated whether or not to get the authorities involved. In the end she hesitated, waiting to see what her mother said next.

"I've said what I had to say, now please leave. I have work to do!"

"We'll be back," the elder Mr Bonner, promises as they backed out of the shop.

Vanessa and Bloom could only stand there in stunned silence for a moment and they watched as the Mr Bonner's disappeared into their limo and drive off.

"You were right about those men. Look at this mess."

"Check this out, Mum," Bloom said, rounding the counter and kneeling beside the shattered pot, mindful of the sharp shards of ceramic. "My friend Flora hates to see a plant with a broken home and she taught me how to do this…" Bloom wiggled her fingers over the mess, showering it in sparks while muttering an incantation and instantly the pieces flew back together to mend the pot and the dirt and plant flew back inside, looking good as new. Bloom picked up the plant and set it back in it's spot on the counter.

"What would I do without you?" Vanessa asked, pulling Bloom into a hug.

Despite both Vanessa and Bloom being jittery for the rest of the day the Mr Bonner's didn't show back up, nor did anything happen. They went out to lunch at their favourite cafe and came back to find the store perfectly fine. By the time they locked up for the night and headed home, Bloom was feeling a lot better even though she couldn't shake the feeling that something still wasn't right.

* * *

Still nervous about the Mr Bonner's Bloom insisted on spending the next few day working in the store with Vanessa. But as the days passed and no retaliation from the Bonner's occurred, Bloom began to relax and a routine began to develop; Bloom would spend the days catching up with her friends while her parents worked, and then spent the nights with them, eating out together, going to the movies, walks in the park. Bloom, Mike, and Vanessa spent Sunday together, going out to the beach for the day, and slowly Gardenia started to feel a lot more like home for Bloom.

The first week of Bloom's visit was drawing to a close when she found herself back in the store with Vanessa, helping her work through the last few busy days before she closed up for Christmas. They'd just finished working through a long stretch of business and for the first time all morning the store was empty, so Vanessa was telling Bloom about the expensive vase she'd had imported in from China, and had just sold. A large crash from the front of the shop stole their attention however, and they hurried to find the cause. It was immediately obvious what had occurred: the front double, glass doors were sporting a large hole, and a brick lay in the pool of shattered glass.

Feeling shaken Bloom picked up the brick, while Vanessa carefully made her way outside to see if she could still see the perpetrator. "Anyone out there?"

"No. Now I'm going to have to replace both doors and that's not going to be cheap," Vanessa said, sounding upset and gesturing to the damage.

But an idea was already beginning to occur to Bloom. A little bit of magic was all she needed to transform the brick into a sponge, she quickly checked to make sure no one was on the street to see, then she swiped the sponge in an x across the doors.

" _Damage-us Erase-us,"_ Bloom said confidently. The glass from the floor instantly soared into the air and resealed itself in the door, making it look exactly as it had before.

"What would I do without you?" Vanessa asked, slipping an arm around Bloom's shoulders and steering her further into the store. The worry hadn't completely left her mum's eyes but she was smiling so Bloom was counting it as a win. "Honey, could you take the Morrison's vase outside? They'll be here soon to pick it up."

"Yeah, sure," Bloom said easily. She picked up the vase, making sure her grip was firm and hefted it outside to set it down near the curb. Knowing how expensive the vase was, Bloom settled a cautious hand on it and settled in to wait.

It wasn't long before she heard someone pull onto the relatively quiet street, and Bloom glanced up reflectively. But it wasn't the Morrison's car that was coming towards her, but an unfamiliar motorcycle that was going well over the speed limit. Bloom stepped back on instinct as the motorcycle came roaring towards her. She took several more back when she saw that the second person on the motorcycle was holding a baseball back.

"Oh, fu-" she started to yell, but the roar of the motorcycle drowned her out and she barely had time to turn away and throw her hands up to protect her face before the motorcycle passenger was swinging their bat at the vase and roaring away again.

Bloom could only stand in shock for a moment, staring at the wreckage of the vase, and listen as the noise of the motorcycle faded away and the street became quiet once more. She glanced over her shoulder and into the depths of the shop where she could see her mother frowning out at the street, but she hadn't seemed to have noticed the mess of the vase yet. Bloom knelt down quickly, summoning magic to her fingers, and willing the shards of glass to repair themselves. She finished just in time, standing up as a familiar car turned onto the street and pulled up outside the store, the Morrison's waving at her from the front seat.

* * *

After the tense morning they'd had, both Bloom and Vanessa thought they deserved something nice for lunch, so they flipped the closed sign in the door, locked up, and headed out to their favourite cafe. It was the perfect remedy and within a few minutes of sitting down both mother and daughter felt their worries melting away.

Unfortunately, that joy didn't remain for long as they returned to the store.

"That lunch was amazing," Vanessa sighed, as they walked up the street.

"Yeah," Bloom agreed. "But I am so stuffed," she added, rubbing at her stomach, feeling as though she couldn't fit in another mouthful.

Vanessa laughed. "Your grandmother used to say, ' _a lady is never stuffed, she's-_ '" Vanessa broke off, a quiet gasp escaping her as she looked past Bloom to the flower shop doors they were nearing.

"What is it?" Bloom asked, even as she took a look herself. The doors were hanging slightly ajar, and through the glass Bloom could see that the shop had been trashed. Her next breath caught in her throat as she stared wordlessly at the mess.

"Someone was here while we were gone," Vanessa said, sounding terrified.

She reached a hand out to the door, hesitating before she could make contact, obviously torn between wanting to go inside, and being scared that someone could still be in there. After a moment, Bloom nudged the door open with the toe of her sneaker, and slipped inside, her mother on her heels. Something crunched under Bloom's foot as she took another step inside and looking down with a grimace she spied shards of a shattered vase beneath her feet. The rest of the shop hadn't fared much better; the floors were filthy with spilt water and soil, there was a barely a flower that hadn't been trampled, and most of the furniture had been pushed over or smashed to pieces. Bloom and Vanessa waded through the mess, the latter's hand pressed over her mouth as she took in her beloved flower shop and tried not to cry. Bloom's hand found hers and she squeezed tightly in comfort.

"I don't suppose you have a spell for this?"

"No, I'm sorry, Mum." Bloom knew a couple cleaning and repair spells but the damage was so extensive here that she wouldn't know where to start, and her magic would surely be drained before she was even halfway.

"I just don't get it," Vanessa said, shaking her head. "Why would burglars wreck the place?"

The words made something click in Bloom's brain and before she could think about it, she was stepping carefully through the dirt and glass to get to the desk, where the cash register was one of the few things that had been left undisturbed.

"It just doesn't make any sense," Vanessa whispered, a single tear spilling down her cheek.

"I don't think it was burglars, Mum," Bloom said slowly, as she opened the cash drawer of the register, which was, as she had half-feared, completely full as they had left it. "It was the two Mr Bonner's," she continued with growing certainty.

"We don't know that, Bloom. We can't just start pointing fingers. There has been a problem with burglary lately; I saw it-"

"Burglars who didn't take any money?" Bloom asked, gesturing at the register and Vanessa came to investigate. "It was those guys, they're trying to intimidate you!"

Vanessa didn't answer. After a moment she straightened, wiped away her tears, and said simply, "I need to call the police." It was as if something in her resolve had hardened in those few seconds, and Bloom could only watch as her mother reached for the phone.

But even as Vanessa pushed away her emotions, Bloom could feel her own creeping up on her, threatening to overwhelm her; her breath was coming faster, not to mention shallower, and within a few seconds it felt like she wasn't getting any air at all. She opened her mouth to tell her mum that she was going… somewhere, but she couldn't find the words. Besides, Vanessa was already preoccupied and talking to the police, so Bloom left without saying a word, pushing through the back office until she was outside.

The back courtyard wasn't anything special, most of the space was dominated by a large greenhouse that Vanessa used for the flowers she grew herself, the rest being a narrow strip of concrete, and a tall fence bordering it all. But it wasn't the sights that Bloom was interested in, but rather the fresh air that flooded into her lungs, helping her concentrate on not passing out, or throwing up.

She sat quickly on the back steps, pushing her head between her knees as her breath rasped in and out. But the position didn't help much as she was consumed by wild panic and thoughts of what would have happened if they'd been here when the Bonner's had, or if Vanessa had been alone, if they had just left lunch a little earlier. Bloom fumbled for her phone in her pocket, realising there was a single voice she wanted to hear in that moment and she hurriedly brought up her recent calls, and tapped the redial button.

When Brandon answered, his voice was thick with sleep, "Hello?"

Through her scrambled brain, Bloom tried to work out what time it was on Eraklyon, Brandon's home realm, but it was hard to think past the insistent buzzing in her ears. Underneath that she could hear the harsh rasp of her breathing as she struggled to respond. Distantly she heard the police arrive and her mother start to talk to them.

When he spoke again, he sounded more alert, shaking away the last tendrils of sleep that clung to him. "Bloom? Are you there?" A pause, then, "Are you okay?"

"No," she finally managed. "No, I'm not." That was when the tears started.

Brandon, to his everlasting credit, handled it about as well as any teenaged boy could; he stayed on the line with her while she cried, talking - about what she couldn't remember - quietly and gently - Bloom ignored the current of panic that edged his words - until at last her sobs subsided, and hiccuping slightly, she was able to tell him what had happened.

"I know it's stupid," she said, when she'd finished. "It's not the worst thing to ever happen. It's not even the worst thing to happen to me this year. But…"

"I get it," he said. "And it's not stupid. It's an invasion, of somewhere you felt safe, of course that's going to be upsetting."

"It's more than that. I've been so on guard for magical attack these past months that I'd forgotten how easily shit like this can happen as well." Bloom rested her forehead against her knees and sniffled, not caring how attractive she looked or sounded.

"I think we should do something when we get back. We haven't been to Crystal Lake Gardens. I think you'd like to draw them."

As far as subject changes went, it wasn't the most subtle, but Bloom knew there was no easy answer to her problems, so she seized the distraction Brandon was offering her with two hands.

"Yeah? Stella did say they were beautiful."

"They are. And peaceful." There was a beat of silence. "I miss you guys."

Bloom smiled, her tears already forgotten. She knew enough about boy-speak, to read between the lines, _I miss_ you.

"Sky busy with all his princely duties?"

"Something like that," Brandon murmured.

"I miss you guys too," she said.

And she did. Her old friends were great, and seeing them again had made her realise that she had indeed missed them, but they weren't her magical friends. They weren't Timmy, with his numbers and glasses that fogged up when he got excited about something, or Sky with his laidback personality that hid a big heart, they weren't even Riven, who could be as prickly as an echidna some days. They weren't Tecna with her cool logic and knowing eyes, or Musa with her fierce loyalty, Flora with her sweetness, or Stella, who had stuck by her through everything. And they definitely weren't Brandon with his gentle friendship and kisses that set her on fire. So, yes, she missed them all, but perhaps she missed Brandon most of all.

"I should go," she said finally. "Let you get some sleep. What time is it there anyway? 1am?"

"3 actually," Brandon said and Bloom winced. "But I'm glad you called."

"Yeah," she murmured. "So am I."

They hung up, and Bloom couldn't help the dopey smile that spread across her lips. Brandon hadn't magically made everything better, but speaking with him had managed to calm her down. A slight cough from behind her had her whirling around and all feelings of cheer evaporating. For behind her stood her mother, a faint smile gracing her face. Wincing, Bloom wondered how long she'd been standing there.

"The police are looking at everything now," Vanessa said, though that smile remained in place. "So," she continued, taking a seat next to her daughter on the steps. "Who was that?"

"No one," Bloom answered blandly, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on the back fence. "Just someone from school."

"But Alfea is all girls. And you called him Brandon." Vanessa's eyes were practically shining with excitement, while Bloom was torn between wanting to smile, and wanting to roll her eyes. "Have you met a boy?"

"Sort of," Bloom muttered around a grimace. Vanessa had always been much more accepting to the idea of her dating than Mike, but everything with Brandon was so brand new that part of Bloom didn't want to tell her about Brandon in case she somehow jinxed it. But Vanessa as looking at her all excited, and after the day she'd had, Bloom thought her mother deserved a pick-me-up, besides, a larger part of herself was just bursting to tell her everything.

* * *

"What did the police say?"

Bloom, Vanessa, and Mike had finished dinner and Bloom had insisted on washing the dishes, both her parents drained by the break in at the flower shop. They sat behind her at the kitchen table discussing it.

Vanessa heaved a weary sigh. "They were there all afternoon, but they said there wasn't enough evidence."

Despite her own reservations, Vanessa had told the police about Bloom's suspicions. They hadn't been able to tell the police about the other incidents because with Bloom's magic all evidence that they had occurred was gone. And the Bonner's had been smart about the break-in, wearing gloves, and making sure not to leave a shred of evidence that they had been there. The icing on the cake had been witnesses that had seen the Bonner's in a meeting when the break-in had occurred, though Bloom was sure it had to be fabricated somehow.

Mike, it seemed, was equally upset about it, if the unhappiness in his voice was anything to go by. "We can't just let them get away with it." He punctuated his words with a sharp bang with his fist against the table, making both Vanessa and Bloom jump, the latter spilling water all down her front.

"Oh honey," Vanessa sighed. "There's no point getting all worked up. We'll figure something out tomorrow."

"I know, I just worry about you. Tomorrow we'll get the best alarm system available and hook it up in the shop. I'm going to bed," he added after a moment.

It wasn't very late yet, but Mike had worked all day, and Vanessa didn't look like she'd be far behind him. Bloom had been invited out to a party with some school people, but she thought she might go straight to bed herself after she finished the dishes, the day had been long enough for her.

She finished the dishes quickly before making a round of the house checking to make sure the doors and windows were locked. But there was an odd feeling low in Bloom's stomach that had her walking around again just to be sure everything was secure. Attributing the nervousness to the events of the day, Bloom finally slipped into bed, resisting the urge to check one more time.

But even once she was in bed, the anxiety didn't leave Bloom, and she immediately fell into a fitful sleep. In her dream, Bloom was back in Vanessa's flower shop, everything in place like it had been before the Bonner's had touched it. But something was wrong, and everytime she went to touch a flower it crumbled to ash right in front of her. As she made her way through the shop, flower after flower turning to ash, the smell of smoke got stronger and invaded her nostrils, and it wasn't long before she could actually feel the heat of fire. Her skin get getting hotter and hotter until it actually felt like her skin was going to burn right off-

Bloom awoke with a scream, pushing back her blankets and shoving up the sleeves of her pyjama top, convinced she was going to find the skin there burnt and blistered. Only when she was sure her skin was fine did she relax fractionally, leaning back against the headboard, even as she still breathed harshly.

"The flower shop," she murmured to herself, over the sound of approaching footsteps.

Before she had the chance to ponder on her dream and what it meant any further, her bedroom door was thrown open, and her parents appeared, flicking on the light.

"Bloom?!" Mike said, face pale as he scanned the room for a threat, having been awoken by Bloom's scream.

"Honey, are you okay?" Vanessa came to sit on the edge of the bed and took one of Bloom's still shaking hands in her own.

"We… we have to go," Bloom said, rubbing at her pounding head with her free hand.

Mike shifted closer. "It's okay, honey. You just had a nightmare."

"No, I didn't," Bloom realised. "I had a vision, Mom's shop is on fire. We have to go."

Bloom scrambled past Vanessa and out of bed, heading straight for her wardrobe for shoes and a coat. She turned just in time to see her parents share a look, but that was the only hesitation they showed before they too were rushing off to find their shoes and coats.

Vanessa's flower shop was only a few minutes drive from their house, but it felt a hundred times longer as the Peters' family raced through the deserted street of Gardenia. Bloom was a wreck the entire time, unable to sit still, and all but bouncing out of her seat. When they pulled onto the street however, and saw the blaze of fire and the smoke spilling out onto the street something in her went still.

Mike glanced at Vanessa, who had let out a heartbroken cry at the sight of her beloved flower shop up in flames, and glanced at his daughter in the rearview mirror. "Bloom, dial the station on your phone, then hand it to me."

Bloom almost reprimanded her father for driving while on the phone, but quickly thought better of it, and dialled the phone, passing it through to Mike once it started ringing.

Mike's fire station was quick to pick-up thankfully. "Jimmy, it's Mike. We've got a fire in progress at Third and Carol. Get here A.S.A.P!" He hung up without another word, just in time to screech to a stop outside the flower shop. "Stay in the car," he barked to Vanessa and Bloom. Neither of them listened however and all but leapt from the car after him.

"My shop," Vanessa cried, at the sight of the flames completely enveloping her shop. "Oh Mike!" She took a subconscious step towards the shop but Mike was quick to catch her around the waist and tug her back, pulling her into a tight hug when she started to cry in earnest.

"It's going to be okay, honey." Mike smoothed a hand over Vanessa's hair, watching the flames over his wife's shoulder. Bloom hovered nearby, both the sight of the flames and Vanessa's tears making her stomach churn. "At least you weren't in there. A shop we can always replace, but you-"

"I'm taking care of this," Bloom decided, ripping off her coat and pushing the sleeves of her pyjama top up. "You guys stay back."

She didn't get more than a few steps however before Mike was catching her arm in a steely grip, both that and the blatant fear in his eyes stopping Bloom cold.

"No, Bloom! You are not going anywhere near that fire. My squad is on their way."

But Bloom was already shaking her head. "The station's on the other side of town, Dad." Gardenia was bigger than the regular town, but nowhere near big enough to warrant two fire stations. "If we don't do something quick the fire will spread." Bloom nodded pointedly at the fire, which was already beginning to edge towards the shops on either side. "At least let me try to contain it."

"Bloom, there is nothing you can do," Mike said firmly.

"Yes, there is!" Bloom insisted in return. "I'll use my magic."

Mike pursed his lips as his thought before finally relenting with a reluctant nod. "Fine, but you're taking me with you."

Bloom ached to argue with him, itched to force him to stay put, just so she would know that her father was safe. But the flower shop gave an agonising groan behind her, creaking as part of the roof caved in, and she knew that arguing with him would just waste time they didn't have. So instead she nodded sharply, and turned on her heel without another word.

The heat inside was oppressive, immediately assaulting her senses and suffocating her, and Bloom had to wonder how her father dealt with this on a regular basis, how this could ever feel normal. She conjured a large bubble to surround them, drawing the heat out of the air, and protecting them from fire, but the magic was taxing, and already Bloom could feel the strain going through her as she worked the complex spell.

"Wha- how are you-"

"It's a protective bubble," Bloom explained through gritted teeth, as she fought to extinguish the flames eating up her mum's shop whilst holding the bubble in place. "It'll protect us from the flames completely, but I can only hold it for ten minutes."

"Wow," Mike breathed, eyes shining as he took in the bubble, just shining in the dark room. "We should get a couple of these down at the station, Bloom. Bloom?

For Bloom hadn't heard a word he'd said, a different noise, coming from deep within the shop having stole her attention. It took her only a moment to place it: a baby's terrified cry, but that only served to make her more confused; what was a baby doing in the store when it should have been empty.

Bloom blinked blearily and tried to peer through the din, in search of the infant. "Do you… do you hear that?" she asked Mike, eyes still sweeping the shadows.

"Hear what?"

But Bloom didn't hear that either, because suddenly she wasn't in the flower shop anymore, she wasn't even in the same time anymore. It was like a memory playing out in her mind, only Bloom had never seen it before.

 _She recognised her surroundings vaguely, as part of the small industrial section of Gardenia, and the place was crawling with firefighter's, no doubt in response to the roaring fire that was consuming a dilapidated warehouse. Bloom felt a jolt of surprise pass through her as she recognised one of the firefighters as her own father, years younger and covered in soot, but her father nonetheless._

" _We have to go back in there," Mike was yelling at his chief. "I heard a baby in there."_

 _But the chief shook his head resolutely. "The fire's too big, Mike. We'll never make it."_

" _I'm not just going to leave them," Mike snarled in reply, yanking his mask into place, and running into the burning building before anyone could stop him._

 _Bloom could only watch as Mike battled through the flickering flames, and thick smoke, stomach churning as debris fell all around him. Through it all, Bloom could hear the insistent wail of a baby._

" _I'm coming," Mike yelled over the scream of the flames. "I'm going to find you."_

 _Bloom and Mike both spotted the baby at the same time, the tiny infant - Bloom guessing it couldn't be much older than a month - tucked into a pink blanket and sheltered by a few planks of wood. The wood and the blanket wasn't the only protection the baby had however, as Bloom saw, she was also encased in the same protective bubble Bloom had been using in her mother's flower shop._

 _A sudden disembodied voice spoke up, sounding eerily familiar, as it whispered to Mike, "Please, save her! Take care of her!"_

 _Bloom saw the surprise in Mike's eyes, but he didn't hesitate to carefully pull the wood aside and scoop the baby into his arms, patting absently at her back, while he tucked her into his thick jacket. The baby's wailing faded into soft hiccuping noises, as she blinked up at Mike with bright blue eyes._

" _Don't be afraid, little girl," he murmured, rocking back and forth subconsciously. "You're in my arms now."_

A familiar hand clamped down on Bloom's shoulder jolting her back to the present.

"Bloom!"

Bloom shook her head, clearing the vision and shoving all thoughts of it aside, resolving to ponder on it - how and why she had seen it - later, and focus on getting out of the fire alive. Thankfully her protective bubble had held throughout the vision, though sweat now beaded at her temples from the strain.

"Bloom, I think I can hear someone in the back office."

Bloom and Mike took off without a word, dodging around burning sections of the store, and pushing through to the back, where they found the Mr Bonner's driver, locked in Vanessa's office. While Mike worked at getting the door open, Bloom continued to try and reduce the fire, but the strain of the bubble was too much and she knew she would have to let it drop before she could tackle the flames. Unwilling to do so while her father was still in the store, Bloom impatiently waited for Mike to get the driver free.

"Stay calm, Sir," Mike yelled, as he finally yanked open the door and lead the man, coughing and spluttering, into the clean air of the bubble. "We've got you."

"Thank you," the driver rasped.

"You guys go through the back," Bloom instructed. Bloom could see her father gearing up to argue and hurriedly continued. "I can take care of everything here," she said pointedly, begging with her eyes for Mike to understand. The longer Mike stayed here with the driver, the more likely it was he caught on to the magic she was using. "I'll be right behind you."

Mike bit his lip, and looked between Bloom, who tried to project as much confidence as she could muster, and the driver, who was still choking on deep coughs. "Be careful," was all he said, before slipping an arm under the driver's shoulder and helping him to the back door.

The second they were clear of the door, Bloom let the bubble flicker and disappear, the smoke immediately invading her senses, making her eyes and throat sting. Bloom summoned her magic and started to reduce the fire, just like she had with the oven fire at the start of break, only on a much larger scale this time. This time however, even though it killed her to do it, she left some of the fire behind, and all of the smoke, knowing that it would be too suspicious if the fire was completely out when the fire department arrived.

The wail of the approaching fire trucks was enough to get her to go outside, running up the side of the shop to join her father and the driver. Bloom slipped an arm around his waist to help him along and met Mike's eyes behind his back. The pride in his eyes making Bloom's heart constrict.

They rounded the front of the shop and two firefighter's Bloom recognised from Mike's station appeared to help the driver to the ambulance before returning to usher Bloom and Mike over as well, despite their protests. They couldn't protest too vehemently however considering they couldn't explain how they managed to go into the fire without inhaling any smoke, so they accepted the proffered oxygen masks without too much complaint. Together, the family, Vanessa having appeared to hover over them worriedly, watched the firefighter's work in silence, Mike's eyes narrowed as he watched his coworkers like a hawk to ensure they were doing absolutely everything to save the shop. The driver, sitting further in the ambulance, was quiet.

Finally, Mike's boss, the fire chief came ambling over, bearing good news. "I'm so sorry this happened Vanessa," he began. "But the good news is most of the fire was already under control when we got here. And while there are some damages but they're mostly superficial, the structure doesn't seem to be compromised."

"Thank you, Sir," Mike said, tugging his mask away.

The chief merely clapped a hand to Mike's shoulder, ruffled Bloom's hair like he'd been doing since she was a small child, and handed them some bottled water before returning to oversee his men's work.

Behind them the driver suddenly spoke up. "I don't know what you were doing in there but I can't thank you enough for saving me."

"Here's some water," Vanessa said kindly, passing some back to him while Bloom and Mike gulped their own down.

When she was done, Bloom twisted so she could look at the driver. "What were _you_ doing in there?"

"I drove the two Mr Bonner's to the store but when I saw them start the fire I tried to stop them and they knocked me out."

Vanessa gasped, but Bloom wasn't surprised by the story at all. In fact, she'd suspected that the Mr Bonner's had had something to do with this ever since she'd seen the driver in the fire.

Vanessa it seemed, however, was having much more trouble accepting the story. "They caused all this trouble just because I wouldn't sell them my store?"

"They sure did. They figured that they would either scare you into signing, or cause so much damage that you would have to sign."

"Yeah? Well, they were wrong and they're in a lot of trouble," Mike said stiffly. "And you might be too."

Sure enough, across the street a police car pulled up with two uniformed cops stepping out, and approaching the chief to talk. In the ambulance, the driver swallowed audibly in fear.

"I know I shouldn't have had anything to do with them but I felt like I had no choice. I used to own a limo business until they scammed me out of it. And I only took this job because I needed the money. I have a family to support. But tonight? Starting a fire, they went too far. I could never be apart of that. I'm sorry."

Mike and Vanessa still looked unsure, but Bloom could see something in the man's face and for some reason she couldn't explain, she trusted him.

"I believe you," she said quietly, with a small smile.

She felt both her parents look at her in surprise but she didn't look away from the driver. Later, when the police came over, the driver recounted his story again, and then Bloom and Vanessa told of their own run-in's with the Mr Bonner's. The police arrested the driver, but they told the Peters' that if he helped bring in the Mr Bonner's, who, they confessed, they'd been after for a while, he stood a good chance of getting off with probation. Finally, just as the sun started to scrape the horizon, they were finally able to go home, collapse into bed, and catch a couple of hours of sleep before the ceremony the mayor was insisting on to congratulate and thank them for bringing down the Bonner's.

* * *

The Peters family shared a strange meal combination of breakfast, lunch, and dinner late the next afternoon, after the ceremony had ended and the media circus had cleared away. They'd had a late start that morning after being up most of the night, and had missed lunch due to the ceremony, so they were all ravenous by the time they got home again. While they feasted on sandwiches, Vanessa told them all about her plans for her flower shop.

"With the money I'm getting from the insurance, and the reward from the mayor, I'll be able to open an even bigger flower shop. I'm thinking about having a big rooftop greenhouse," Vanessa said dreamily, eyes vacant as if she was already picturing it. "What do you think?"

"As long as you install the best alarm system on the market it sounds great." Mike blinked and seemed to realise for the first time that Bloom wasn't listening to the conversation, nor had she had a single bite of her sandwich. "Bloom, are you okay? It's not like you to let a peanut-and-jelly go uneaten."

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were indeed Bloom's favourite, but her mind had been preoccupied all day with something much more pressing, namely the vision she'd had during the fire and what it meant.

"Is there something bothering you, sweetie?"

Bloom heaved a weary sigh, and tugged at an errant lock of hair as she tried to work out how best to explain. "Yeah, Mum, there is sorta. During the fire, I had this sort, I don't know, vision? I saw Dad. I saw him in a fire with a newborn baby. You were saving it, I think." At her words, Vanessa and Mike exchanged a long, unhappy look catching their daughter's attention. "What?" she asked sharply. "What is it? Do you know something about this?"

"Yes," Vanessa finally said after a long pause, sounding somber. "We do. This is what I wanted to talk to about that first night you were home."

Bloom thought back, remembering the conversation they'd been having that night and how it had been completely forgotten after the chaos of the fire in the oven. Bloom stayed silent and her stomach started to churn.

"You see, honey," Mike said carefully. "We talked to you about being adopted but what we didn't talk about was that day in the fire… when I found you."

Bloom's heart leapt to her throat as she realised what her father was telling her; the baby in the vision, that had been her. "What do you mean you found me in a fire?" she said, flinching a bit about the hysterical note in her voice.

"It was a four-alarmer," Mike told her, eyes grave as he remembered that day. "This massive warehouse burning and it was getting too dangerous for us to be in there. But we'd heard your cries and I knew I couldn't just leave you in there. And then when the smoke was almost too thick, I heard this voice leading me to you."

"A- a voice?" Bloom asked hollowly, thinking of the voice that had lead her out of the fire at Cloud Tower.

"And then when I picked you up," Mike continued. "The fire just started to go out, all on it's own. Child protective services was called to help find your family and that should have been it." Mike cleared his throat, overcome by emotion and when it was clear he couldn't continue, Vanessa took up the story.

"But your dad couldn't stop thinking about you. Every night for the next week your dad would wake up calling out for you, and when he checked in with child protective services we learnt that no one had come forward and that they were thinking about placing you in foster care. Me and your dad had just started talking about starting a family." She reached out and gripped Mike's hand before turning to Bloom with a slightly teary smile. "And we thought that maybe this was meant to be. So we went out to see you and just fell in love."

Mike looked on the verge of saying something else but hesitated. He shared another long look with Vanessa who nodded, urging him on. "We had thought that maybe there was something _special_ about you." By the way he said 'special' Bloom knew he was thinking of her powers. "From the way you survived that fire, and the voice, and the way the fire stopped… but nothing ever came of it and we chalked it up to a fluke."

Bloom stood abruptly from the table, swiping furiously at the tears that were slipped down her cheeks. "Why didn't you tell me about it before?" she said, hating the way her voice shook. "Did you think there was something wrong with me?"

"No, Bloom of course not," Mike said, looking distraught at the very thought.

"When you told me about being adopted why didn't you tell me about this?"

"We were going to, but since you never showed any signs of magic we thought there was no point. You always knew you were adopted, and we thought what did it matter how we found you? Then there was that day with Stella, and your powers finally came back, but you went right off to Alfea there was barely any time for us to wrap our heads around it, let alone explain it all to you."

"Let me tell you something," Vanessa said firmly, despite the tears coursing down her own cheeks. She stood from the table and placed her hands on Bloom's shoulders, giving her no choice but to look at her. "We did talk to you about the real magic that happened that day; that we found you and you found us, how we became a family together and that's all that really matters to us."

"We love you so much, Bloom," Mike said, joining his wife and daughter, and the three of them fell into a group hug.

"I love you guys too," Bloom sniffled, and just enjoyed the warmth of their embrace.

* * *

The final days of Bloom's vacation passed much too fast for Bloom, or her parent's liking. She made it through Christmas with both sides of her family, too much food, and approximately a million cousins clinging to her legs and demanding to know where she'd been. She crammed as much parent and friend time in as she could but all too soon, it was the day before classes were to resume and she was packing her bags and heading back to the train station.

She'd ordered a portal the night before and an attendant was to meet her on the station to make sure she got through without alerting any humans. It wasn't too hard to find the attendant even on the semi-busy platform; she had floor length blonde hair, as well as pale green skin, and sharp teeth that marked her as at least part nymph. There was also the fact that everyone around her wasn't giving her a second glance, telling Bloom that there was some sort of spell at work. A spell that was also affecting her parents she realised as they continued to scan the platform.

"Miss Peters?" the attendant asked politely as Bloom lead her parents over. "Whenever you're ready, Miss," she continued after Bloom's confirming nod.

"I'll just say goodbye," she said.

"Of course," the attendant nodded before retreating a polite distance away.

Bloom turned to her parents, her mother already tearing up. "Don't cry, mum," Bloom said, and slid her arms around her.

"I'm not," Vanessa sniffled, even as Bloom felt her shoulder grow damp. "You have a good term, alright?"

"I get a few weeks off for Spring Break," Bloom said trying to cheer her up. Vanessa pulled away and smiled. Bloom and Mike hugged quickly before she glanced over her shoulder at the attendant, who was waiting patiently, but Bloom didn't want to drag this out for much longer. "I better go. I love you guys."

"We love you too."

"And, Bloom," Vanessa added as Bloom picked up her bags. "If you want to talk about… anything. Just call us."

"Will do."

Bloom only let herself look back once as the attendant lead her over to a door marked 'Staff Only'; her mother still looked a little teary, and her father was waving with a slight smile.

"Best to go now when no one's looking, Miss," the attendant said. "After you."

Bloom smiled and waved one last time back at her parents before stepping through the faintly shimmering doorway and was hurtled through time and space back to the Magical Dimension.

* * *

The dorm was completely empty when Bloom got there, all of her friends yet to return from their own homes, and for some reason the emptiness made it all that easier for her to drop her bags by the door, go right to her bed, and curl up and cry. Which was exactly where her friends found her several hours later when they too returned. Her tears had long since dried up but she was sure her face bore telltale marks of her afternoon activities and her friends immediately clambered onto her bed.

"What's with all the gloom, Bloom?" Musa settled herself against the baseboard of Bloom's bed and regarded her friend with unusually serious eyes.

Flora meanwhile had made a quiet distressed noise at the sight of Bloom and took one of her hands in her own, squeezing tightly. "Are you missing your parents?"

"No," Bloom said glumly, never taking her eyes off the windows. "It's not that. It's just… nothing."

Stella settled a hand on Bloom's ankle. "Come on. What's up?"

Bloom sighed, a heavy rattling thing that revealed how close to tears she still was. She didn't know why all this was so upsetting to her; she'd always known she was adopted, and had even known her parents were probably magical, but it had all changed now. "You ever feel like you don't know where you belong? I always thought I knew but something happened while I was home and now…"

"Tell us," Tecna said gently.

And so she did. She didn't spare a single detail of the tale, telling them all about the crooked businessmen her mother had accidentally fallen in with, the fire and the vision, right through to her final minutes on earth. The sun steadily sank while she spoke and it was nearing dinner by the time she finished, a long beat of silence following her final words.

"I don't get it," Musa finally said, shrugging unapologetically when the others glanced at her.

"I have to agree," Flora said gently. "Why are you so down, Bloom? If you ask me that was a really beautiful story. I think you and your parents have a really beautiful relationship."

"You talk about real things with them," Tecna added, sounding a touch envious.

"Your earth-rents sound like really awesome people."

"That's just it," Bloom burst out. "My earth parents," she added, softer. "You see?"

Stella it seemed she did because she smiled sadly. "This new info's got you curious about your birth parent's, hasn't it?"

"Of course it has. I was okay with the fact that I probably wasn't even from Earth, but I thought I just happened to get left there. But that's probably not the case; I was put there on purpose, my Dad was meant to find me. And guys, I heard the voice that lead him to me, it was Daphne's voice."

Her friends exchanged glances.

"Daphne?" Tenca asked. "Daphne, as in…"

"Yeah, the Daphne who lead us out of that fire in Cloud Tower, Daphne who keeps visiting me in my dreams, Daphne who we think is linked to the Dragon Fire and the Trix. I don't know, guys, I can't help but feel like this is… big."

"So we get back into it," Stella said, without missing a beat. "We got a bit lax before the holidays because of exams but now we get back into the research and start searching for answers. We'll find out how this all connects to the Trix and the Dragon Flame. And if we can, we find out who your parents are, Bloom."

"You guys would do that for me?"

There wasn't even a second of hesitation from her friends as they crowed their agreement.

"We're all in this together, Bloom," Tecna said.

"That's right, girl," Musa said, and their arms all came around each other for a group hug.

It was Stella who broke the silence a moment later, asking, "So, can we give each other presents now?"

* * *

 **Guess who's back :D Yep, it's me, rising from the dead to update this fic. I know it's only been like 2 months (I think) but it feels like it's been forever. I'm sorry about that. I've had a weird couple of months, I was actually on break for a big chunk of that time but just... really didn't feel like writing, I guess, and I'm still getting the hang of forcing myself to write even when I don't want to.**

 **I actually really liked writing this chapter, and it is one of my fave episodes from the first season so I hope you liked it as well. And I'm about to start working on another favourite episode of mine "Royal Heartbreak" yep secrets are going to be revealed soon *cackles*, ready for some drama? Of course, there's still a few chapters before that happens so don't get too excited.**

 **Anyway, I think the question this chapter will be, what is your favourite transformation (have I done that one yet?). I personally love the original winx, charmix, enchantix, and bloomix. What about you guys. Let me know your answers, as well as your thoughts about the chapter in a review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

Being back at Alfea apparently also meant a reappearance of Bloom's dreams as she found out only a week into the new term. It was still the exact same intense, all-encompassing dream that had her in its clutches from the minute her head touched the pillow.

"Come to me, Bloom," Daphne whispered to her, as she always did. "Are you ready for your journey?"

"I don't understand," Bloom told her in return, as she always did.

"I know," Daphne said, with a sad smile. "You need to remember, then you'll understand." Her hands left Bloom's shoulders and lifted to her own face as if she was going to try and tug the mask obscuring her face away. But they dropped before they could make contact. "I can't stay for much longer," Daphne continued, sounding upset. "Don't stop looking, angel. You're so close. But remember, when things get bad, that I believe in you, and I always will."

Bloom jerked awake with a strangled yell, and sat up in bed, panting hard. Running a hand through her tangled hair, Bloom tried to control her breathing but it was difficult with Daphne's voice still echoing in her ears.

"Another dream?" Flora's voice was quiet and calm, but having thought her roommate was sleeping, it startled Bloom enough that her pounding heart ratcheted up another notch.

"I thought you were sleeping," Bloom mumbled in return, squinting through the dark so she could get a look at her friend. "But yeah."

"Daphne again?"

"Yeah," Bloom sighed, sinking back against her pillows. "I just don't know what she wants from me. And she sounds like she knows me, she kept calling me 'angel'." Flora hummed thoughtfully, but didn't offer a response. "Are you alright? You've been quiet since we got back."

Flora didn't answer for a moment, and Bloom knew she was deliberating her words carefully. "Me and Lilian broke up."

Bloom pulled herself up on one elbow and looked at her friend, even though she could see only a vague outline through the gloom. "Oh, Flora…" she trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Flora sighed in response. "I think I knew it was coming. And I think it's for the best. But…"

"Still hurts," Bloom finished for her, and Flora's following silence was confirmation enough. A long moment of silence passed, Bloom considering something, then she heard a quiet sniffle and the choice was made for her. She slipped out of bed, wincing as the cold air nipped at her toes and hurried over to Flora's bed, climbing in, and cuddling up behind her friend.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Bloom asked around a mouthful of Flora's hair.

Flora gave a shuddering sigh but shook her head. Bloom squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I meant to tell you guys, but I think I just needed time for it to be real in my head."

"I get it, Flo."

They sat in silence after that, each swept up in their own thoughts and listening to the breathing of the other, until finally Bloom heard Flora's breathing even out and she knew her friend had fallen asleep. But sleep had never been further from Bloom, and somehow she knew she wasn't getting back to sleep at any point that night. So instead she slipped out of Flora's bed, carefully so she didn't wake the girl, and returned to her own, grabbing one of the many books about the Dragon Flame she had stacked by her bed, as well as a torch, and slipped under the covers with both.

* * *

The next day went smoothly enough, even with Bloom tired from a sleepless night, and Flora still quiet and pale looking. However she finally confessed at lunch the truth about her and Lilian to her friends which seemed to have helped, and Bloom drank almost her body weight in coffee over the course of the day so by the time they all got to their final period class, which was flying, they were both looking better.

That is until Palladium joined the class and he and Faylinn announced that they would be having an impromptu test.

"This is a chance for all of you who perhaps didn't do so well in our two midterms to make up some extra marks," Faylinn called over the class' groaning and complaining.

Bloom and Stella sighed, exchanging glances. Bloom had hoped to do better in her flying midterm and Stella desperately needed extra credit in magical reality, but they didn't think a test they weren't prepared for was the way to do it. Still they followed the others to the edges of the room, and pulled out some dusty chairs to sit in and wait for their turn.

"Professor Palladium and I have put together an obstacle course," Faylinn explained, clapping her hands. Bloom had been expecting something akin to an obstacle course that she would see on Earth but all that appeared was a gold pedestal on one side of the room and hovering on the other side of the room, a rose encased in a protective bubble. "Your goal is to get the floating rose to the pedestal. If you get hit by three obstacles, you're out. Bloom, would you like to go first?"

Faylinn posed it as a question but Bloom knew it really wasn't, and besides she'd rather get it over and done with, so she nodded with a grim smile and went to stand in the centre of the room, shifting into her fairy form. Faylinn and Palladium took their seats at the teacher's desk, pens poised over paper, ready to mark her performance.

Faylinn caught her eye and Bloom nodded to show she was ready. Her flying teacher nodded in return and snapped her fingers, signalling for the test to begin. For a moment there was only quiet, punctuated by the occasional rustle or murmur from her class, then a sort of electronic hum that Bloom couldn't place, which apparently was the only warning before a jet of high beam light speared the air in front of her, missing her by barely an inch. Bloom hopped back on instinct, wings flapping to keep her balanced. There was a second electronic hum, but it was impossible to know where the next light was going to appear so Bloom flew rapidly backwards just in time to avoid the light that skewered the space where her foot had just been.

Bloom nodded, satisfied but realised she had ended up on the wrong side of the room to get the flower. She didn't know if this exercise was being timed but she figured she'd better get it done as soon as possible, besides she figured it would be easier to avoid the lights if she was moving fast. But before Bloom could take to the air there was a third electronic hum. Bloom twisted awkwardly to avoid the jet of light, but the movement had put her off balance and she was powerless to avoid the fourth light that came right after it. She fell to the ground, yelping slightly at the stinging sensation of the light as it singed a small mark into her skirt.

"That's one," Faylinn called, making a note on her clipboard. Her voice betrayed nothing and it was impossible for Bloom to decide if she was doing extraordinarily well or exceptionally bad.

Gritting her teeth, Bloom rolled onto her back and prepared to push off the ground but the telltale electronic hum interrupted her. She tried to scramble to her feet but wasn't quite quick enough to avoid the beam of light that caught the toe of her boot.

"That's two," Palladium informed her.

Bloom flew into the air, weaving between the jets of light that were appearing quicker and quicker now, and snatched the rose out of the air. Keeping it cradled to her chest, Bloom landed and spun around, eyes on the pedestal.

"Don't forget other obstacles will be added along the way."

As if triggered by Palladium's words, a maze of rocks appeared between Bloom and the pedestal, looking like an asteroid field. Soaring through the air, Bloom ducked and wove through the rocks, forced to go fast to avoid the moving rocks. By the time Bloom touched down on the other side she was coated in a thin sheen of sweat and she was panting slightly.

Now the only thing standing between Bloom and the pedestal was a big blue blob that shivered and trembled menacingly. It should have been easy, a quick spell, to smash the slow moving blob out of her way so she could put the rose down on the pedestal. But instead Bloom's mind went blank, the magic seemed to drain out of her, and to her horror she even felt herself starting to slip out of her fairy form. Her thoughts scrambled, trying to work out what to do, how to attack, but before she could sort through the mess, the blob, no longer slow moving, flung itself at her, tackling her to the ground, pinning and suffocating her. Thankfully she only struggled for a few seconds before the blob melted away, leaving her lying, gasping for breath and covered in blue goo.

"And that's three," Faylinn said, the rose zooming from Bloom's grasp and back to it's starting spot. Faylinn offered Bloom a consoling smile as the redhead got to her feet and slunk back to her feet.

"You did so well," Stella said comfortingly, reaching over to touch Bloom's wrist lightly.

Bloom managed a small smile in return but she couldn't help the embarrassed flush that coloured her cheeks. More students took their turns and Bloom felt slightly better to see that she wasn't the only one who didn't manage to get the rose to the pedestal; one poor fairy, a sweet girl with unfortunately slow reflexes was out in the first minute. Bloom's friends did fairly well, Stella only getting caught by a single light, Tecna passing with flying colours, Musa almost getting caught by her third obstacle right at the end but still managing to get the rose down, and Flora just getting caught at the end.

Still they were all sweaty, tired, a little irritable, and Bloom was still covered in blue goo as they trooped back to their room for showers before they went into town to meet with the guys to discuss the Trix problem. They all felt much better after they'd washed the day's funk away and stepped onto the bus.

Half an hour later all five fairies as well as three specialists were sitting in the corner of a large noisy cafe, where they were sure they weren't to be overheard.

"Find anything, Timmy?" Brandon began.

"Well, I didn't have a lot of time to look," the bespectacled boy replied apologetically. "I have a lot of family," he explained.

"It's okay, Timmy," Bloom said kindly. "Just tell us what you know."

Timmy shuffled through the pages of notes he'd made, the chicken scratch handwriting he'd written in indecipherable to everyone except him. "Well, Daphne as you all know was the eldest daughter of Oritel and Miriam and the crown Princess of Sparx before it was attacked."

"Right," Bloom said nodding. "Before they all died."

Timmy's lips twisted as he scanned his notes. "Well, there's actually some conjecture about that."

The other's exchanged glances. "What do you mean?" Tecna asked.

"Of course, the common theory is that all on Sparx at the time of the attack perished, but since Sparx was all but decimated, no bodies were recovered and some believe that those on Sparx weren't killed at all, but rather imprisoned or cursed."

"And that's possible?"

Timmy nodded half-heartedly. "But highly, _highly_ improbable."

"But what about Daphne?" Bloom asked. "How is she a nymph, if she's not dead?"

"There are certain curses that can force a fairy into that state. But like I said it's highly improbable that that's what happened, and those who believe it are largely discredited."

"This is all interesting," Musa said. "But how does this help with the Trix?"

"Well, it doesn't really," Timmy said. "But I couldn't find all that much beyond that. Tec analysed the dreams and they're most likely authentic psycho-magical messages. But what they actually mean…"

"Thanks Timmy," Bloom said, trying to smile through her disappointment.

"Let's go through what we already know," Sky suggested. "These dreams are somehow connected to the Trix's attempts to get the Dragon Flame which most likely resides with the youngest Princess of Sparx, if she's still alive."

"We don't know that the dreams are connected to the Trix-" Bloom argued, but Stella interrupted in exasperation.

"Oh, come on, Bloom you only got the dreams once they showed up. It's a pretty good guess that all of this is connected."

"And we can guess that Daphne wants us to find the Dragon Flame before the Trix, but without any more clues, or Bloom remembering whatever Daphne wants her to, I don't think there's much we can do," Flora said with a frown. "We have no idea who might have saved the Princess or where they might have taken her."

Something tugged at Bloom's mind but it was gone before she could get close to it.

"Well, this was a bust," Musa groaned as they stood and tossed some coins onto the table to cover the cost of their drinks and headed for the door.

The group discussed what they should do with the rest of the afternoon, but Brandon noticed that Bloom was oddly quiet, and looked tired.

"Hey," he murmured, nudging her gently with his elbow. "How about some ice-cream. I know a great place around the corner."

Bloom blinked, considering and glanced to the others, who were already wandering off. Despite her weariness she felt a smile start to tug at her lips.

"Yeah, let's do it."

* * *

"So," Brandon began as they sat at a table. "What's up?"

Bloom startled slightly, thinking that no one had noticed how she was feeling. "Fine. Just these dreams, you know?"

Brandon peered at her, looking away only to thank the waitress when she placed their ice cream in front of them. "Nah, it's more than that. Talk to me, Bloom."

Bloom tried to smile, but it felt strained. "I bombed a test today. I was so close to finishing but I just couldn't summon my power."

Brandon reached over the table to take Bloom's hand in his, squeezing comfortingly. "It's just a test," he offered. "You'll do better on the next one."

"I know. It's just, my power's so frustrating."

"Your power is awesome," Brandon argued lightly.

"I can't control it. It's so unpredictable."

"Maybe that's just because it's so new. I could help you look into the history of your powers."

"Thanks, but the only place I know to look is at Cloud Tower and that's way too dangerous," Bloom said firmly.

The pair lapsed into silence, poking at their ice-cream, which Bloom had to admit was pretty good. Finally Brandon cleared his throat, and Bloom glanced up expectantly.

"I was thinking over the break, and even a bit before that, about what we're doing together," Brandon said, gesturing slightly to their joined hands.

"What we're doing together," Bloom repeated and Brandon nodded. "I think we're going out on dates, getting to know each other, and having fun while we're doing it."

"And that's all?" Brandon asked lightly.

Bloom knew what he was getting at and bit her lip, wondering how she could explain it. "I really like you Brandon," she began. "But back on Earth, I was with a guy. Don't worry we're broken up," she continued quickly when she saw the look on Brandon's face. "And we've been broken up for long enough that I'm over it."

"But he hurt you," Brandon finished, eyes glinting with anger.

"Not really. Andy and I were very intense, and the breakup wasn't good. And I'm not ready for something that serious again. I like what we have and I don't want to ruin it by forcing it before either of us are ready."

"So let's say we're dating but not exclusive. That way if either of us meet somebody else…"

Bloom smiled. "Sounds good. But for the record, there's no one else I want to date."

Brandon echoed her grin. "Me neither."

"So, tell me about your break. What did you get up to?"

Bloom had been hoping to lighten the mood from the serious talk but to her surprise Brandon's smile started to fade with the topic change and he shrugged moodily.

"Eh, not much. My parents are kind of strict so I mostly hung out with Sky's family, they've always treated me like part of the family."

"Your parents are stricter than the King and Queen of Eraklyon?"

Bloom chuckled a little at the thought, but Brandon, whose gaze had become distracted as if his mind was elsewhere, just blinked at her for a long moment. Finally he seemed to come back to himself and attempted a weak smile.

"I know, crazy right?"

* * *

Across Lake Roccaluce the witches of Cloud Tower were just finishing their last class of the day, and Mirta was sitting in her seat, trembling under the gaze of her teacher, the terrifying Professor Ediltrude.

"Come on, Mirta," she said briskly. "I've asked you a simple question."

Mirta gulped and tried to ignore the heavy gazes of her classmates, knowing that many of them were hoping she'd get the answer wrong. "We should be careful casting spells on the first night of the full moon because, ummm, because the light rays of the moon are at their most powerful and can cause unwanted and permanent effects?"

Ediltrude contemplated her student for a long moment, during which Mirta squirmed uncomfortably, sure that she had indeed messed up. "Very good," she said finally. "But you sounded hesitant, a good witch needs to be confident."

Mirta ducked her head to try and cover the blush that was staining her cheeks as her classmates snickered around her.

"You wouldn't know anything about being a good witch, would you Mirta?" one hissed meanly from the next desk over.

On Mirta's other side, Lucy's hand clenched into a fist and she leaned around her friend to hiss back at the witch. "I wouldn't be talking, Hester. You're the one who can't tell a stinging hex from a tickling jinx."

Hester narrowed her black eyes at Lucy. "Shut your mouth, Miss Magix? Where's your tiara?" She laughed, high and cruel as Lucy blanched. "I can't believe you thought your hideous face could ever win Miss Magix."

The class roared with laughter while Lucy jerked as if she'd been struck and settled back into her chair without another word. Neither Lucy nor Mirta spoke again until class ended and Ediltrude unceremoniously ordered them all to get out. The walk back to their dorm was equally quiet and they were both relieved to find it empty of their other dorm-mates.

"You coming to dinner?" Mirta asked, dumping her books onto her bed and glancing around at Lucy who had sunk down onto her own bed.

Lucy looked at her like she'd just asked her to grow wings and transfer to Alfea. "After that class? No way. I'm not showing my face again." She sighed at the worry apparent on her friend's face. "You go, Mirta, I just want to be left alone."

"You know no one who matters would say stuff like that? Hester's just a bully."

"Yeah, and the whole class agreed with her," Lucy retorted. "Icy…"

"Icy what?" Mirta asked sharply.

"Icy would never let someone push her around like that," Lucy said, a defiant note in her voice as if she was daring Mirta to argue.

Mirta stared at her friend. "You can't seriously be thinking about hanging out with them? They're still making you do their homework after everything that happened at that competition. And I don't like how they act."

"They act like witches."

"We don't have to be like that."

"You don't understand," Lucy burst out. "I want to be like them, I want to be part of their coven, especially if it means no one walks over me again. I'm not like you, I'm not okay with people calling me a loser! I can't just stand there and be picked on and put down."

The words hit Mirta hard and she closed her eyes against the tears she could feel building. But they spilled down her cheeks anyway and she swiped at them in frustration. "What are you saying, Lucy?"

"I'm saying, in the future, you pass me in the hall, don't bother to say hello."

"We've been friends forever."

"Things change." There was no emotion in Lucy's voice, nor on her face, and she didn't hesitate to stand and stalk from the room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"Theoretically," Brandon began, sinking down to sit next to Timmy on the floor. "If I wanted to get into Cloud Tower after hours, how would I do it."

Timmy's head shot up from the blueprints he'd been pouring over, concern clear across his face. Across the common room of their dorm a surprised huff left Sky where he was working out, and obviously listening in on the conversation.

"Cloud Tower's surrounded by a magical, protective fence, Brandon! It's even stronger than Alfea's."

"Okay." Brandon ran a hand through his hair, tugging erantly at the ends as he was known to do when he was thinking. "Is there any way to get through?"

Timmy sighed, obviously seeing that Brandon wasn't going to give this up easily and leaned over to fish a map out of one of the drawers of his desk. Brandon didn't bother to ask why Timmy had a map of Cloud Tower just lying around. He helped Timmy unfurl it and watched patiently as his room-mate considered it and traced a thoughtful finger along the shield marked out.

"I think I could probably map out a path to the best spot to pass the shield."

"So I could go in tonight?"

"Theoretically," Timmy said distractedly, pencil already in hand as he started plotting points on the map.

Sky's weights clattered abruptly back into the rack and he sat up, an odd intensity in his eyes that didn't match with the ease in his voice as he said, "You might not want to go tonight. It's a full moon; witches are particularly strong during a full moon."

"I know, but Bloom was seriously upset. She needs this."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"I'll be fine." Brandon waved a dismissive hand.

"I am not just letting you walk into a witches den on a full moon." All pretense of nonchalonce had disappeared from Sky's voice and even Timmy looked up from the plans to glance between the two friends.

"It's fine," Brandon gritted out and Timmy's eyebrows shot up in surprise; as much as Brandon and Sky were friends, Sky was still a Prince and Brandon was his squire. Brandon forced a smile. "I'm supposed to be the one protecting you after all."

Sky's jaw clenched but he nodded. "Whatever you want. Just… be careful."

The door to Riven and Timmy's door opened suddenly, startling all three teens in the common area; none of them had known that Riven was in the dorm.

"Uh, hey Riven," Timmy stuttered out, blushing furiously, and maintaining eye contact with his blueprints, subtly shifting the map of Cloud Tower under the others.

They'd come to the agreement that they would keep Riven out of all Trix talk until they could work out just what was happening between him and Darcy. Riven breezed through the common room, smirking all the way.

"Big plans tonight?" he asked, tauntingly.

Brandon stiffened slightly but otherwise didn't let himself react. "Not really." Brandon leant back on one hand and flicked a lazy look at Riven. "You?"

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Riven stalked out without another word, leaving Brandon with a growing sense of unease and worried expressions on his two friends faces.

* * *

It was not yet 9:00 p.m. and Bloom was already considering getting into bed when a small click against the balcony doors drew her attention. She frowned at the curtained doors, and another quiet click had her going over to investigate.

"Hello?" she called as she stepped onto the balcony, cursing herself and the fact that she sounded just like a soon-to-be-victim in a bad horror movie.

But the balcony appeared to be empty so she headed over to the edge to see if there was someone on the quad. Before she could reach it however a familiar blonde head popped up over the side, and grinned at her, making her heart stutter in her chest for more than one reason.

"Jeez, Brandon," she yelped, clutching her chest, and stumbling back a step. "You scared the hell out of me."

Brandon grinned roguishly at her. "Sorry, Bloom, it was so close to curfew I had to sneak in."

"It _is_ close to curfew," Bloom reminded him, spreading her hands a little as if to say ' _what's up?'._

"Well, I figured we could check out Cloud Tower. If you're game."

Bloom wavered. "I am game. But as I said, curfew is in half an hour. How are we going to get there and back in time?"

"We probably won't," Brandon admitted. "But we don't have the same curfew enchantments around Red Fountain, so I thought you could crash in my dorm and sneak you back here really early tomorrow morning."

Bloom's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the implication, and Brandon flushed an uncharacteristic red.

"I'll sleep on the floor, of course," he continued quickly.

"Of course," Bloom repeated, biting her lip against the smile she could feel tugging at her lips. "Alright, let me just tell the girls where I'm going."

* * *

At Cloud Tower, Mirta was sitting alone in her room, still reeling over her conversation with Lucy. She and Lucy had been friends for as long as she could remember, and she couldn't believe that someone who had demanded that Mirta be allowed to come to Cloud Tower with her less than a year ago could have walked away from their friendship so easily. Mirta knew this was all the Trix's fault.

A plan began to form in Mirta's mind, fueled by the eavesdropping spell she'd learnt earlier that day. She figured if she could listen to what the Trix really thought of Lucy, then her friend would finally come to her senses and realise the true nature of her idols.

Mirta began to summon her power, pressing her hands tightly together, and chanted the spell, " _Search high and low, both cranny and nook, when you find that witch, let me listen and look!"_ She drew her hands apart slowly, and as they seperated, a purple screen formed between her palms. The further she pulled them apart the larger the larger the screen grew until it was almost the size of a television. The screen wavered before the sight of the Trix flickered into view, their faces tinted oddly purple by the magic.

"So, this time we'll get it. We'll finally get the Dragon Flame," Icy was saying to the other two.

Mirta frowned, wondering if she'd somehow stumbled into the plotting of another of the Trix's devious plans.

"When Bloom reads the book, she'll panic, and be so filled with doubt that she won't be able to stop us this time."

Mirta had no idea what the Dragon Flame was, and she only had vague knowledge of Bloom, having heard of the Alfea freshman who kept thwarting the Trix, but somehow she knew she had to stop the Trix from acting. Mirta had a bad feeling that if she let them attack Bloom something truly terrible would happen. Besides, she thought with a devious smile, it wasn't exactly a hardship to get back at the Trix for taking Lucy away from her. Mirta let the screen fade and sat back on the wall, already speculating wildly about how she could locate this Bloom before the Trix did.

Little did she know, Bloom was heading straight for her, curled up tight against Brandon's back on his leva-bike as they raced towards Cloud Tower.

"We're almost there, Bloom," Brandon told her, nodding to the monstrous black shape that loomed up ahead out of the din. "Hang on!" he called, as if Bloom wasn't already clutching his waist tightly.

She understood a moment later, however, as Brandon jerked at the handlebars and sent them soaring into the air, leaving the road completely. Theoretically Bloom had known it was possible, they were on a leva-bike after all, but knowing it, and actually being in the air with the ground steadily getting further and further away, were two very different things. Bloom gritted her teeth to prevent a scream slipping out, and clutched Brandon even tighter; she was sure it was painful for him, but he didn't say a word in complaint.

"Timmy said we have to find the point of vulnerability, the fulcrum of the forcefield," Brandon told her, as he navigated around the crackling bolts of the lightning shield around Cloud Tower. "It's the only way to get through. It should be just below the place with the highest voltage."

The burning smell of the lightning was thick in the air, and Bloom was sure she would have suffocated on it if she hadn't been wearing Brandon's spare helmet. She watched the crackling electricity carefully, startling occasionally when one of the bolts got too close, before locating the one place where the lightning seemed to hit consistently and the strongest.

"There," she called, daring to let go of Brandon with one hand, so she could point.

"That's what I was thinking," Brandon agreed. "Okay, hold on."

Brandon pressed a button on his bike and immediately began to drop like a stone through the air, wind whistling past. They reached the spot they had agreed on, passed it, before the bike surged forward, passing straight through the shield. The feeling of going through the electricity was unpleasant but thankfully short, but the bike shuddered underneath them in protest. Still Brandon commanded it expertly, forcing it onwards so they could land on one of the many outdoor stairways. They bumped and jolted down the stairs, the bikes energy fluctuating as it tried to keep them level, but finally they reached a platform, the bike coming to a halt with a relieved noise.

"Nice job," Bloom said weakly as they scrambled off the bike. "Is it okay?" she asked, when Brandon bent down to inspect it.

"Yeah. Well enough to get us home anyway. It'll need some TLC later though. We should get going." Brandon gave his bike one last reassuring pat, obviously reluctant to leave it unguarded, but moved on nevertheless, leading Bloom down the next flight of stairs, at the end of which there was a heavy black door.

"What is that?" Bloom asked once they were inside, and Brandon pulled a gadget from his pocket. It beeped steadily and quietly.

"Something that Timmy's been working on. It tracks witch energy." He showed Bloom the display of the gadget which was showing a map of Cloud Towers with lots of green dots. "The green means low levels, nothing to worry about, they're all sleeping. When it gets to orange, we should start worrying."

"And red?" Bloom asked absently, trying to distract herself from the gruesome exhibits lining the hallway.

"Red means we should already be running," Brandon said flatly, and Bloom shuddered.

Between Bloom's memory and Brandon's GPS it didn't take them long to locate and get to the library. As expected it was empty of students and teachers alike, but still they pushed open the heavy double doors slowly, and carefully looked around before entering. It looked exactly as Bloom remembered, large and drab, everything located in a thick layer of dust as though the witches rarely went in there.

"When I was here, my book was out, like it was waiting for me."

For the first time since they'd started this endeavour Brandon showed a flicker of doubt. "Are you sure you want to do this, Bloom? Maybe… maybe some things are meant to remain unknown."

"I need to know the truth. I don't want to know absolutely everything, I just need to know where I came from."

"Okay." His eyes caught on something over Bloom's shoulder and nodded at it. "I think that's your book."

Bloom turned and sure enough saw through the gloom that her book was still sitting on the lectern. She crossed to it quickly, Brandon on her heels, and clicked on the overhead light, bathing the book in musky light.

"Woah," Brandon said quietly, reaching out and tracing a hand down the thick pages. "You're only 16 and it's already so big."

Bloom hummed a vague agreement, eyeing the book hungrily. Something creaked deep within the library and they both whirled around. But there was nothing there, and trying to calm themselves they both turned back to the book.

"I wish the only copy didn't have to be at Cloud Tower." Bloom cast a furtive look around. Brandon, seemingly also eager to get out of the creepy library urged her to try asking it a question, so summoning her magic to her hand, Bloom touched the book lightly and asked in a whisper, "Where do my powers come from?"

An unseen force seemed to seal her hand to the cover, and as Bloom started to struggle to free herself, her vision went abruptly dark, the library disappearing around her until she couldn't see or hear Brandon anymore. Three shapes appeared out of the dark, walking towards her until she could see that they were witches. But they weren't the witches like the ones at Cloud Tower, but rather looked like they'd walked straight out of Bloom's nightmares; their skin was gray and sagging, their noses long and crooked, and their hands ended in long claws. But the worst, the absolute worst was their eyes which were completely black, and narrowed in malice.

"You come from a long line of bloodthirsty witches," the one in the middle said, followed by a high pitched cackle of laughter. "And the source of your power is the Coven of Darkness. You were born for the sole purpose of spreading misery throughout the universe."

The witches cackled again and surged forward, reaching out with their shriveled, taloned hands. Bloom finally stumbled back with a gasp and wrenched herself away, hand separating from the book, and with a jolt she returned to the Cloud Tower. Beside her, Brandon was shaking her shoulder, calling her name anxiously.

"Oh my god," Bloom whispered between panting breaths and brought shaking hands up to cover her mouth.

"What is it? What did it tell you?"

"I don't think you want to hear it," Bloom told him, trying in vain to hold back the tears she could feel welling up.

Brandon didn't tell her it would be okay, and for that Bloom was grateful. Instead he said calmly, "Whatever it is, you can tell me, and I'll do my best to help you."

Bloom dragged in a deep breath and wiped at her damp cheeks. "According to the book I'm not really a fairy, I'm a witch."

Brandon stiffened, an unconscious reaction to her words, before stumbling back a step, horror dawning on his face. Even though Bloom had expected it, it still hurt to see him backing away like that, like he was expecting her to attack at any moment.

"That's impossible," he said, shaking his head, even as he backed away another step.

Bloom ached to step towards him, wanting only to feel his warm embrace comforting her. But she knew she couldn't have handled it if he flinched away from her touch like he was sure to do.

"I know. I'm so confused. What does this mean?"

"I don't know, Bloom. But I can't…"

"Brandon?"

But Brandon just shook his head, avoiding her gaze.

"Brandon, if my powers are evil I won't use them anymore."

Brandon looked incapable of words and he still wasn't looking at her.

"Just go," Bloom said miserably. "I know you want to."

"No- look, at least let me give you a ride back to Alfea or someth-"

"No. I want to be alone. I need to think about this."

Brandon didn't argue any further and after an awkward pause he left the library, abandoning Bloom with only her tears for company. If you asked her later, Bloom would honestly say she didn't know how she got out of Cloud Tower alive that night. It was difficult stumbling through the dark with tears running down her face and painful sobs building in her chest until finally she reached the door. From there it was a hellish trek through the forest, barely able to see branches and tree roots through her puffy eyes before they were upon her and were sending her sprawling. Finally, after a particularly hard fall, she just laid there, exhausted and miserable, thinking she'd just close her eyes for a moment and gather her strength.

* * *

Flora was getting worried. She'd woken, as expected to find Bloom's bed empty and had tried to call her just to ask when she'd be back. It was a Saturday so they didn't have to worry about classes but if Griselda even caught a hint that Bloom had snuck out last night and came asking question it would be a lot better if Bloom was around to throw her off her suspicions. But in a gross oversight, at least in Flora's opinion, Bloom had left her phone in the dorm, and calling Brandon yielded no results with the call going straight to voicemail. But as the morning wore on and she heard nothing from Bloom she began to get more and more worried until she knew she had to confide in the other girls.

She went to Stella's room first, hesitant because the blonde held every minute of the weekend as sacred, especially Saturday mornings when she went through her more in-depth beauty regime. And sure enough when Stella opened the door to Flora's knocking, her hair was covered in shiny goo, and her expression was not impressed.

"What's up, Flora?" Stella asked, barely suppressing her exasperation. "What?" she continued, when Flora eyed her hair dubiously. "You know nine to ten is hair hour."

"It's an emergency. It's about Bloom," she continued quickly when it looked like Stella was going to make a sarcastic remark. "She's still not back."

Stella's mouth snapped shut and she closed her eyes, looking pained. "Fill the others in, call Brandon and see what he knows, I'm going to wash this stuff out."

Ten minutes later, Stella, Flora, Musa, and Tecna were all gathered in the common area, looking at each other seriously.

"We finally got through to Brandon," Tecna was explaining to Stella, who was running a comb through her wet hair. "Apparently they found her book and it told them that Bloom wasn't really a fairy, but a witch."

"Which is impossible," Flora broke in quickly over the sound of Stella's gasp.

"Right," Musa agreed. "But Bloom obviously believed it and she insisted on walking back from Cloud Tower."

"By herself?" Stella yelped. "She could be stuck in the dark forest."

"Exactly," Tecna said grimly. "We need to find her, as quickly as possible."

The girls hurried down to the quad and out the front gates, where they transformed into their fairy forms.

"Okay," Tecna said. "How should we do this?"

"Well, I can start with a little _Floral Navigator,_ " Flora said, and threw a handful of sparks into the air. The sparks settled on the ground and instantly began to move, forming an arrow that pointed to one side of the lake behind them. Alfea and Red Fountain sat on one side of the lake while Cloud Tower was located directly across from them, with forest separating all three schools including long stretches that wound around either side of the lake. It made sense that Bloom would be somewhere in the stretch that lead from Cloud Tower around to Alfea.

"Now I'll bounce some ultrasonic waves to probe the area," Musa said. Concentrating hard, she lifted her hands and directed them in the direction of the arrow. A high pitched whine filled the air making the other girls wince but after a moment it faded, Musa nodding in satisfaction. "I've got a reading."

"Air-sync it over to me and I'll find it on the map."

Musa nodded and a second later one of Tecna's gadgets beeped with the results. She tilted it towards them and they all watched as the map marked a spot with an arrow.

"There she is. I've got the coordinates."

"And I'll be providing the guiding light of course," Stella said airily, already beginning to glow.

"It's the middle of the day," Flora reminded her.

"And it's called the dark forest for a reason," Stella shot back not unkindly. "Besides the right light works wonders on even the most dreary locations. Now let's go get our girl."

* * *

Bloom didn't think her bed had ever been this uncomfortable. Stella had told her once that they were spelled to tailor specifically to the likes and needs of the fairy sleeping in them. Which made no sense considering how hard her bed was at the moment, and it felt like something was digging into her bad. Bloom groaned quietly and turned over, reaching underneath herself for whatever was jabbing her in the back. She froze however when her hand closed around the rough texture of bark.

' _What the hell?'_ Bloom thought, eyes flying open to take in her surroundings. As soon as she saw the dark forest it all came flooding back, going to Cloud Tower with Brandon, what the book had told her, walking home alone, before finally falling asleep on the way.

"Oh my god," Bloom groaned aloud, rolling onto her back, hands clasped over her face. "I'm a witch," she continued, testing and tasting the word. "A witch." She groaned again. "How the hell is this my life?" Feeling mighty sorry for herself, Bloom hauled herself to her feet and set off in the direction of Alfea She didn't know what she was going to do once she got there, but she had to get out of the forest; Bloom just considered herself lucky that she'd survived the night, defenceless as she'd been.

She didn't make it very far however before she noticed that she wasn't exactly alone. She could hear someone else moving along parallel from her, several feet into the forest, and they weren't being exactly subtle about it.

"You know I can hear you, right?" she called into the shadows, trying to sound casual even as her heat pounded.

A muffled exclamation from somewhere to her right told her that her companion might be as scared of her as she was of them. A small shape emerged from the gloom, and something in Bloom stiffened, a voice deep inside her instinctively whispering " _witch"._ She had her hands up, an energy ball forming before the person could fully materialise.

"Stop right there," she barked and the witch stumbled to a halt desperately flinging her hands into the air.

"Please don't hurt me," the witch squeaked, sounding completely at odds with everything Bloom had ever seen from witches. She wasn't about to drop her guard however, not after everything the Trix had done to her.

"Come out, slowly."

The witch complied, slowly moving into view, her hands still in the air. Bloom could see the beginnings of the cold beauty that every witch seemed to possess, but hers was mostly covered by her round cheeks and embarrassed smile. And even though she wore a black skirt with a scary studded belt, she'd paired it with a cute t-shirt adorned with a pumpkin, and converses that were endearingly scuffed. Bloom had never seen a witch dressed like her and she found herself starting to relax, letting her energy ball fade, and her hands drop.

"I'm Mirta," the girl offered.

"I'm Bloom."

"I know. I mean," she continued quickly when Bloom's hand jerked up again. "I've been looking for you. I have to talk to you about the Trix."

Bloom eyed Mirta suspiciously.

"It's about what you read in the book chamber."

"How do you know about that?"

"I don't like the Trix so I was eavesdropping on them and heard them talking about it."

"What were they saying?" Bloom asked, even though she was beginning to get an idea.

"That they were going to plant the book. They wanted you so upset so they could go after something called the… power of the dragon? Something like that."

"The Dragon Fire?"

"Yeah, that's it! I don't know what it is-"

"I do," Bloom said, rubbing her forehead. "It's this really powerful force. They want to use it to try to take over the dimension, starting with Magix."

Mirta looked truly horrified, surprising Bloom. "We can't let them do that."

"I know. So, are you telling me that whatever was in that book was fake?"

Mirta shrugged. "I can't be sure, but most likely. Why? What did it say?"

"That I was a witch," Bloom almost whispered, the words hard to get out.

"No," Mirta said immediately. "No way."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You know how you knew straight away that I was a witch? It's the same for us. I can just tell. You're all fairy."

"Oh thank god," Bloom sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. "Er, no offense," she added with a glance at Mirta, who waved her off.

"Don't worry. I might be softcore for a witch but I would not want to be a fairy either."

Bloom blinked, a thought occurring to her. "But you are a witch, so why are you telling me all this?"

Mirta opened her mouth to answer but before she could a cold, and, unfortunately for Bloom, familiar voice did for her.

"Because Mirta's barely a witch. She's just an annoying freak pretending like she belongs."

Mirta and Bloom spun around to find Icy, Darcy, and Stormy leaning against a nearby tree, watching them with malicious amusement.

"Not to mention a total reject," Stormy added with a cruel laugh. "I knew no one liked her, but to be so desperate to hang out with a fairy…"

"So pathetic," Darcy purred.

"Don't talk to her like that," Bloom shot back. It felt weird to be defending a witch, but Mirta had been nothing but lovely to her, so Bloom pushed past it.

"Oh, look, she's defending her," Icy cooed. "That is so cute."

"You talk about pathetic, Icy," Bloom said, continuing as if she hadn't spoken. "But you're the senior witches who can't beat a bunch of freshman fairies."

Icy went unnaturally still and if looks could kill, Bloom thought she and Mirta would have been six feet under in that moment. "What did you just say to me?"

"Hey," another familiar voice called and the five of them glanced up to see the rest of Bloom's dorm-mates hovering above them. Bloom sighed in relief; as much as she liked Mirta, she felt much better facing the Trix with her friends by her side. "Why don't you try and fight us?!"

But something was off about Stella's voice and as Bloom looked at her friends she saw a ripple go through them, as if they weren't real. Bloom glanced at Mirta in confusion and saw that her new friend had a hand behind her back, deep purple magic swirling around her fingertips while she mumbled a spell under her breath. The Trix didn't seem to notice anything was wrong and Stormy leapt into the air.

"I'll get rid of them!" she said haughtily, conjuring up a twister and sending it at the illusion. As Bloom had expected, it passed right through them and they disappeared with a flicker. The look on Stormy's face was priceless, though, making Bloom laugh as the witch gaped at the place the illusion had just been hovering.

"I can't believe you fell for that," Darcy scoffed from the ground as Stormy settled back down beside her. "It was just a freshman trick." Darcy turned her eyes on Mirta and cocked her head dangerously. "Trying to fool the queen of dark magic?"

"That might have been an illusion," Icy said. "But this sure isn't."

Bloom didn't even have time to raise her hands, let alone say a spell before Icy's attack was flying at them and she was once again sealed in ice.

Icy smirked at the sight. "Now we just have to wait a few minutes and Bloom will be so weak she won't even put up a fight when we-"

An energy ball hit her square in the back, twin attacks hitting Stormy and Darcy a second later, sending them all sprawling in the dirt.

"Ice coffin? How predictable. Icy, I strongly suggest looking into some new attack moves."

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy rolled over, glaring up at Stella, Tecna, Flora, and Musa who had arrived and were smirking down at them. Stella pulled her ring from her finger and it transformed at once into her sceptre, which she swung through the air at once melting the ice around Bloom and Mirta in an instant. Bloom was cold but otherwise unharmed, so shaking the water from the hair Bloom rose, before bending down to help Mirta up as well.

"You stupid fairy," Icy growled, pushing herself to her feet. "You are so over."

" _You're_ over," Mirta yelled back, voice wavering only slightly despite her obvious fear of the senior witch.

"Please," Stormy gritted out. "It's not even a contest." She and Darcy shot into the air to face off against Stella and the others, while Icy spun on her heel to glare at Bloom and Mirta. While Stormy summoned twin twisters to attack the girls, Darcy bound them together with rope, preventing them from getting away.

"Can you handle Icy?" Bloom asked Mirta, transforming into her fairy form. "I need to help my friends." Icy threw an energy ball at them but Bloom swatted it away with one of her own.

"I've got a better idea," Mirta muttered, and Bloom saw the same dark purple magic build at her fingertips again.

A humongous flying monster suddenly crashed through the tree tops and if Bloom hadn't known it was another of Mirta's illusions, she would have been grabbing her friends and making a break for it. The monster let out an inhuman roar, and the ropes around the other's started to slip as Darcy and Stormy whirled around in surprise. A second later the ropes fell away completely and the twisters from Stormy dissipated. While the Trix were distracted by the monster the girls fluttered down to join Bloom and Mirta. As soon as they were clear, Mirta let the illusion drop and the Trix whirled back towards them, fury darkened again.

"I have had it with you, Mirta!" Icy growled, stalking towards them. "Everything about you is annoying, your stupid tricks, your good girl attitude, and your little t-shirt."

Icy cocked her head, eyes glimmering with malice as she glared at Mirta, and Bloom instantly knew they were in for a world of trouble. She threw up a shield, but the full moon seemed to be still having an affect on Icy because her spell tore through it hitting Mirta square in the chest.

"Leave her alone," Bloom yelled, expecting the attack to just knock Mirta off her feet. But Mirta was no longer standing there, and instead a pumpkin was sitting in the foliage. Bloom's mouth dropped open and she heard the shocked gasps from her friends, but then all she could hear was the ear-piercing cackling of the Trix. "Change her back!" Bloom shouted, her hands balling into fists. She could feel a familiar white hot energy building in her chest.

"Nope, sorry," Icy simpered. "No can do."

"I said," Bloom growled, clawing back the power. " _Change_ _her_ _ **back!"**_

Bloom's leash on her power broke and it exploded out of her, light enveloping the forest, and blinding them all. When her sight finally returned she was back on the ground, blinking up at the treetops while her friends around her grumbled.

"That was some major winx, girl," Stella groaned.

Bloom rolled over onto her knees, trying to ignore the aches and pains she knew would be gone by the time she woke up in the morning. Both she and the other girls were back in their normal clothes and the Trix were nowhere in sight.

"Yeah, Bloom, your power rocks," Musa grinned, rubbing idly at a scratch on her arm. "I love that you can send the Trix flying whenever we need."

"I wonder where they ended up?"

Bloom staggered to her feet, grabbing Stella's hand to help her up as well. Tecna and Musa also stood, but Flora seemed more interested in Mirta, by the way she was bending over the pumpkin, peering at it curiously.

"Who's your friend?"

"Oh, that's Mirta," Bloom said, walking over to peer down at the pumpkin. It reminded her a little of a halloween pumpkin, with shapes like eyes and a mouth lightly carved to make it look like it had a face. "She's a witch, but she's cool."

Flora frowned and ran her hands lightly over the surface of the pumpkin. "It's going to be really hard to turn her back. That was a witch-on-witch spell, and last night was the full moon."

"Guess we'd better take her back to our crib," Musa shrugged.

"Or find a place to plant her," Stella joked.

"Stella!" Flora sounded scandalised as she scooped up Mirta, and together they started trudging back to Alfea.

"I'm just kidding," the blonde sighed. "So how did your trip to Cloud Tower go? And what happened with Brandon?"

"The Trix planted a book and it told me I was a witch. We both kind of freaked out about it."

"They did what?" Tecna exclaimed.

"Brandon thinks you're a what?" Stella yelled at the same time, causing some nearby birds to fly into the air.

"Yeah," Bloom sighed.

"Girl, you need to call him," Musa said. "Explain that you're not actually a witch."

"Yeah, I will."

"Well, let's get moving," Stella instructed. "We don't need Mr-Blonde-And-Blue doing something stupid because of a misunderstanding."

The five of them transformed into their fairy forms and they took off for Alfea, passing the pumpkin between them so Flora didn't have to bear the weight the entire way.

But even when they got back to Alfea Bloom couldn't bring herself to call Brandon. Instead she waited until it was almost light's out before calling him, pulling a jumper on and slipping out onto the balcony, leaving Flora to talk to Mirta, which she insisted would be good for the witch while in her vegetative state. Bloom dialled Brandon's number and felt relieved, and then guilty for being relieved, when the call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey this is Brandon, you've missed me, so leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"Uh hey Brandon, it's Bloom, obviously. Uhh, just wanted to let you know that it turned out the book was fake and I'm not really a witch. The Trix planted it there for me to find, which you know, I probably should have seen coming."

There was so much more she wanted to say, like ' _I hope this doesn't change anything between us'_ but it all sounded too desperate in her head so she simply signed off with an overly cheery goodbye that sounded weird to her own ears and hung up, walking back inside.

"Don't worry, Mirta," Flora was saying to the pumpkin. She was sitting at her desk, where they had decided to put Mirta, right by the window. "We'll find a counter-spell for you soon. But in the meantime we'll take good care of you. Welcome to Alfea."

* * *

 **So guess who realised she had a couple of chapters completed and just sitting there? Yep this idiot.**

 **Ok, so this actually kinda makes sense why I subconsciously do this (write chapters but don't post straight away). Gather around kids, Grandma Jess is gonna tell ya'll a story. Back when I first wrote and published this fic, I used to post weekly, and so I had to write a chapter a week. So, if I finished an extra chapter a week, I didn't post it straight away and would stockpile it so if I ever had an off week, I'd still have something to post. This obviously doesn't make sense anymore since I just post now when I finish a chapter, but I've still for some reason been stockpiling chapters. So now you guys get weekly updates until I clear out all the chapters I have completed and waiting for editing and publishing.**

 **Ummm, not much else to say. Still working on the day of the royals chapter, still enjoying the drama, hit a snag with the timeline so that threw me for a bit but I think I've fixed it. And yeah. Let me know what you think of the chapter :)**


	16. Chapter 16

The weeks wore on, and the random quizzes didn't stop, and neither did Bloom's dreams. They haunted her every night, Daphne asking Bloom to come find her, telling her to begin her journey, and it didn't matter how Bloom begged or asked, if she pleaded or cried, Daphne would never give her any more details, she'd just smile at her sadly, and Bloom would wake up. And she found that whenever she woke up it was all but impossible to get back to sleep.

So instead she spent the nights scouring every book the library had on Daphne, and when that yielded no results, she turned to books about Sparx, which unfortunately told her little more than useless details, like the planet's old trade lines. They were all, fairy and hero alike, looking for a clue about the lost Princess of Sparx, but it seemed if anyone knew about her, they weren't writing books about it. So as winter started to melt into spring, Bloom began to find herself weary, and more than a little bit lost, fueled by her sleepless nights.

She was not the only one who was tired however. Every fairy had known coming to Alfea that it would be hard, it was one of the top schools for fairies in the entire dimension for a reason, but they hadn't realised that they would be tested so extensively in their first year. Yet another quiz was announced in metamorphosis one unseasonably warm afternoon.

"What?!" the class groaned as one, after Wizgiz had delivered the bad news.

"That is so evil," one fairy complained loudly.

"I am so doomed," her friend agreed.

Wizgiz sighed, swinging his legs from his perch atop his desk. "Come now girls, nobody's doomed. It's a harmless little quiz."

"You just said we could be kicked out of Alfea if we fail," Stella burst out. "How is that harmless?"

"I should have worded it better," Wizgiz said, clapping a hand to his forehead. "You would have to have failed just about every other exam I've given you, which no one has done. Besides even if you did fail the subject, we wouldn't just abandon you, we'd have a conversation about your options, possibly repeating the year, which there's nothing wrong with…"

Stella turned positively green at the thought of repeating the year again.

"Anyway," Wizgiz continued hurriedly. "This quiz is on material we've covered plenty of times in class."

"A little more heads up would have been nice," Musa put in, the rest of the class quick to agree with her. "I mean, the day before?" Musa tugged on one of her pigtails in distress.

Wizgiz began to ramble about notification rules, while he packed his bag, leaving them with some parting advice before he left. "Make sure you review your notes and get a good night sleep. You'll be fine, I have complete faith in you."

Unfortunately, the class didn't seem to share his faith and they watched in dismay as he made for the door.

"Wait," one fairy called in desperation just as the tip of his pointed hat whipped out of sight. "Can you at least tell us what the test isn't going to be on?"

Feeling numb, the class slowly began to pack up, many already turning to their friends to find out who has notes on what lessons, planning to pool their resources.

"Wait, did anyone take notes on today's lesson?!" a nervy blonde girl called Lyra shrieked when she realised none of her friends had notes. "This is horrible," she continued, voice rising in volume. "We're all going to get kicked out."

A quiet snore interrupted her meltdown and she whipped around, wide eyes landing on Bloom, who was asleep at her desk, and looked like she'd been that way for a while.

"Oh gooey gumdrops," Flora sighed, the closest she'd ever come to swearing and hurried out from behind her desk to wake her friend. "Bloom?"

Bloom jerked awake with a muffled exclamation and blinked blearily at the class who were all staring at her, and upon catching sight of her started to snicker.

"What?" she mumbled. "What's so funny?"

Fighting down a smile of her own, Flora offered her a compact, showing Bloom the ink that had smeared all over her cheek from sleeping on her notes.

"Yo, at least we know Bloom's been taking notes," Musa snorted.

Lyra didn't seem to find this funny but Bloom did, and chuckled goodnaturedly with the others as she wiped away the marks. They weren't laughing for long however, not when Griselda poked her head into the classroom a moment later, ever present scowl firmly in place.

"The bell rang five minutes ago," she snapped disapprovingly, glaring at them until they started to file out of the room. "You should all be moving on to your sixth period class. Except for you, Bloom," Griselda continued coldly, the redhead stopping cold. "You need to come with me to Ms Faragonda's office."

Bloom's heart leapt into her throat, and she was glad it was there because she suddenly felt like she was going to vomit. Stella grabbed her hand, squeezing it comfortingly, before walking past with the others, all of them wearing identical sympathetic looks. Bloom followed Griselda to Faragonda's office in meek silence. It didn't help that when they got there, Griselda followed her in, and stood at Faragonda's side while Bloom took a seat in front of the desk.

Faragonda rested her elbows on the desk, templing her fingers, and surveying her student across from her. "We just wanted to check in with you, Bloom," she began kindly. "Professor Wizgiz saw you sleeping in his class today."

Bloom felt an uncomfortable flush creep over her cheeks and it was an effort to maintain eye contact and not duck her head. "I'm sorry, I just really didn't get much sleep last night at all."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid that doesn't explain your falling asleep yesterday, and the day before that, now would it?" Griselda asked sharply.

"Several of your teachers have expressed concern over the last few weeks," Faragonda added much more gently.

"I've been having the strangest dreams lately," Bloom explained. She knew she sounded crazy but couldn't think of a better alternative than to tell the truth. "Whenever I fall asleep I hear a voice calling to me, someone called Daphne, and when I wake up, I can't get back to sleep."

"You're going with the old voices in your head excuse then?" Griselda asked flatly, obviously unimpressed.

"It's not an excuse, it's the truth," Bloom returned stiffly.

Griselda opened her mouth to retort but Faragonda spoke before she could. "We're not upset with you, Bloom. Why don't you go back to your room and try to get some rest? I'll explain to Professor Callas why you're not in class."

"Okay, thank you."

Fighting off a yawn, Bloom saw herself out of the office, and stumbled off in the direction of her dorm. She was looking forward to getting some rest, but the inevitable encounter with Daphne not so much. Daphne seemed nice, as far as nymphs went, but Bloom was sick of having the same conversation with her every night and getting nowhere.

Bloom yawned again as she moved through the empty hallways and turned a corner, only to run directly into Wizgiz. The tiny professor didn't seem to notice her arrival and was searching the hallway for something, wandering around and mumbling to himself.

"Oh, hi Professor Wizgiz. I'm sorry about falling asleep in class today."

"That's alright, Bloom," Wizgiz murmured distractedly, patting haphazardly at his pockets. "Now where is… I swear I had it just a second ago. Mam was right, I'd lose my head if it wasn't attached."

"What are you looking for?" Bloom asked curiously. "Maybe I can help?"

"It's nothing… oh! Wait a second!" Wizgiz dumped his briefcase on the ground, wrenched it open, and started rifling through it, sending it's contents flying all over the place. He sighed when he got to the bottom, obviously not having found whatever it was he was looking for, and piled all his belongings back into his case. It wasn't until Wizgiz zipped off down the hallway, briefcase in hand, calling an idle goodbye over his shoulder that Bloom noticed the envelope left on the floor.

She snatched it up and called after him, "Wait, Professor!" But Wizgiz had disappeared, and when Bloom followed him around the corner she couldn't see even a hint of him. "Huh," she murmured to herself, scratching her head. She shrugged and glanced down at the envelope, stomach dropping when she read the words printed neatly across the front.

 **WEDNESDAY FRESHMAN QUIZ ANSWERS**

"Oh jeez," Bloom murmured to herself and shoved it quickly into her hoodie pocket even though there was no one around. She walked quickly back to her dorm room and collapsed straight into bed when she got there, her eyes heavy. Figuring that she talk to her friends about what to do with the envelope when they got back, she didn't even bother to take it out of her pocket as she rolled over and fell asleep.

* * *

Bloom knew instinctively when she woke up that she hadn't slept for long, nor had she slept deeply, but she had slept without visions of Daphne interrupting her, and for that she was grateful. Bloom would have gone right back to sleep but there was a disgusting smell permeating through the apartment that was calling for investigation. So instead she rolled out of bed and trudged through the dorm, letting her nose lead her to the common room, where she found her friends, and Mirta, still firmly in her pumpkin form and sitting on the coffee table.

"Witch-on-witch spells are very difficult to break," Tecna was saying to Flora, patting her hand consolingly.

"Yeah, but this is Flo. Plants and veges are supposed to be her speciality," Musa put in unhelpfully.

As expected Flora was offended and glared at her friend. "Why don't you try something then, Miss Let's-Just-Dump-Her-In-A-Patch?"

"Maybe I will," Musa shot back. "Besides it was Stella who suggested we plant her."

Flora's angry gaze swiveled around and settled on the blonde, obviously frustrated enough to lash out at anyone in the vicinity. But luckily enough for Stella she quickly caught sight of Bloom hovering in the doorway and changed the subject.

"Welcome back sleepy-head. Feel better?"

Bloom grumbled something unintelligible and rubbed some sleep from the corner of her eye. She flopped onto the lounge beside Flora, shoving her hands into her hoodie. It was only then, as they closed around the envelope, that Bloom remembered it at all.

"So I found something interesting," Bloom said, withdrawing the envelope with a grimace and tossing it down beside Mirta.

"Bloom?" Tecna gasped, peering at the envelope with wide eyes.

"How did you get this?" Flora asked, sounding equally shocked.

So the whole story came spilling out, starting with Bloom's trip to Faragonda's office, running into Wizgiz on the way back, and finding the envelope. A few minutes of silence passed when she had finished, a silence in which they all stared at the envelope and considered the possibilities if they opened it.

"Okay, I'll just say it," Stella finally said. "I think this is a golden opportunity. Metamorphosis isn't my worst subject but at the same time I could be doing a lot better in it. Besides I'm sure we can make up for it with good deeds or something later so I'm gonna open it." And with that she reached for the envelope.

"Wait, don't-!"

"Stella-!"

"Maybe we shouldn't-"

Stella glared at her friends but still dropped the envelope and sat back.

"Oh come on, why not!?"

"If Professor Wizgiz finds out you cheated you could get thrown out of school," Tecna said coolly.

"I'm gonna get thrown out anyway when I bomb the test!"

Bloom sighed and rubbed her eyes, her little nap already wearing off. "Come on, Stel, you haven't been doing that bad."

"I haven't been doing that great either," she pointed out. "This could really help me raise my grade point average."

"But what about your conscience, Stella?" Flora added.

"This is stupid," Musa broke in before Stella could, rolling her eyes. "You should have left that thing where it was, Bloom. Not only is it too tempting, we could get busted just by having it!"

Bloom made a face at Musa. "Well, we've got it now, what should we do with it?"

"We could just read the questions, that isn't cheating."

Flora scoffed. "How is that not cheating. We'd still have an unfair advantage over everyone else."

"Screw this," Musa said when it looked like Stella was going to argue. "You guys can look at it if you want, but I'm hitting the books."

A soft sigh from Bloom's end of the lounge drew all their attention to her, only to find that during their argument she'd fallen asleep again.

"That's the fourth time today," Tecna said, while Flora drew a blanket over her.

"She really hasn't been sleeping much, I've heard her tossing and turning every night."

"Poor thing," Stella clucked.

The four girls resolved to let her sleep while they studied until dinner, after which they'd talk more about the envelope.

* * *

Once again Bloom found herself standing in the damp cave, features indistinguishable in the dark, the only light coming from Daphne's ethereal figure.

"Hello, Bloom," she said, her smile touched by sorrow as usual.

"You have to stop this." Bloom stalked up to her but stopped before they could touch knowing from experience that she would simply pass through the nymph. "I can't sleep, I can't stay awake, and I'm pretty sure I'm going a bit crazy."

"You're not crazy, angel," Daphne said sweetly, smile widening slightly. "And I can't stop, you're so close."

"But what am I close to," Bloom gritted out through clenched teeth. Even as angry as Daphne made her, she could rarely bring herself to yell for some reason.

"To understanding! To the truth! Please, you must hurry!"

Bloom's anger dissipated at the desperation in Daphne's voice and all of a sudden she felt like crying. "I'm trying," Bloom promised, tears rolling down her cheeks in frustration.

"I know, darling," Daphne said.

The nymph seemed to forget herself for a moment and reached for Bloom as though she was going to wipe her tears away. But as usual her hand passed right through Bloom, only a warm feeling showing any sign that she'd tried to touch her at all. But as Daphne drew her glowing hand back a painful looking ripple shuddered through her form, and she grimaced.

"Are you okay?"

"I have to go." The sad smile returned to Daphne's face. "And so do you." She reached for Bloom again but this time a solid weight actually settled on Bloom's shoulder. "But you need to come find me. Quickly."

The hand on her shoulder squeezed but before Bloom could say anything else she jerked awake with a jerk. But it seemed she'd stepped out of her dream and directly into a nightmare, for it was Griselda's hand on her shoulder, and head of discipline was looming over her, face as serious as Bloom had ever seen it. She glanced around to find her friends hovering worriedly at their doors.

"Bloom, Miss Faragonda wants to see you in her office immediately."

Bloom nodded distractedly, mind still addled by sleep and her eyes fell on the envelope still sitting on the coffee. She understood at once why her friends looked so nervous; it wasn't just that Griselda was in their dorm (a reason for anxiety on it's own), it was that Griselda was in their dorm while something that could easily get them into trouble was out in the open.

"Of course," Bloom said quickly, leaping to her feet and almost clashing heads with Griselda in her haste. Bloom stepped around Griselda and headed quickly for the door, looking back only to make sure she was following her.

She could do nothing however when Griselda paused at the door, and swung back around to sweep the room with narrow eyes. "This place is a bit of a mess," she said, glancing pointedly at some food wrappers strewn by the television, and some crumbs on the carpet. "I might just come back later to do an inspection."

"Of course, Miss Griselda," the others called back in unison, bustling into action.

The second trip to Faragonda's was no more comfortable than the first. In fact with the students now roaming the halls, all turning and whispering as they passed, it may just have been more uncomfortable. Griselda didn't seem to notice the attention they were gaining and Bloom tried to ignore it the best she could, instead focussing on why Faragonda was calling her back to her office for the second time.

Bloom had decided that it had to be about the envelope by the time they got to the office; someone had obviously seen her pick it up or something, and decided just to tell Faragonda and Griselda the truth. She was thrown for a loop however when Griselda opened the door for her to enter, but didn't follow her in, but closed the door, shutting her in with Faragonda, who was standing at the window, staring out at the window.

"Miss Faragonda?"

The elder fairy started slightly, as if she'd been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't heard Bloom enter. She turned to Bloom with a small, if slightly strained smile.

"Please, take a seat, my dear. I was very troubled after out meeting earlier Bloom," Faragonda began, retaking her own seat, and Bloom tensed waiting for her to bring up the envelope. "And so I decided to confer with some old friends about these dreams you've been having."

The tension drained from Bloom somewhat at that and she sunk back into the chair. "My dreams," she repeated.

"Yes, how much do you know about this Daphne?"

"Well, I have been doing a bit of research," Bloom admitted sheepishly.

"Yes, you and your friends have proven yourselves to be quite resourceful," Faragonda said with a knowing smile, and Bloom got the feeling that not much happened at Alfea that Faragonda didn't know about.

"I did have a question… well I read that Daphne is one of the nine Nymphs of the Magical Dimension, but I'm not quite sure what exactly that is. She was obviously a fairy first, and somehow became this really powerful nymph, but I've also met the water nymphs and they don't seem very similar at all."

"No, that's because they're not," Faragonda explained. "The undines have very little in common with nymphs, aside from the fact that they both reside in water, hence the coining of the term 'water nymph'. Very little is known about nymphs, because we don't know exactly how they come to be. There are many theories on the matter, but most agree that the most common way to become a nymph is to be a very powerful fairy who dies."

"Like the royal family of Sparx," Bloom guessed.

"Precisely. But nymphs are very elusive, part of the magic that binds them into the non-corporeal form also keeps them from revealing much about how they came to be. What is known that at the time of their transformation nymphs must choose a body of water to be tied to for eternity, and it is considered a great honour for a realm to have a nymph choose them. I have done a little research on the matter and do you know what place Daphne, the last Princess of Sparx chose?"

Bloom shook her head, and Faragonda gestured to the lake, visible through the windows behind her.

"She chose our very own Lake Roccaluce. If you would like I can help you astral-project yourself to the lake, and perhaps we can get to the bottom of these dreams you've been having."

"Yes, please," Bloom said eagerly, sitting on the edge of her chair, barely able to believe that Daphne had chosen a place so close to her. She realised that perhaps the close proximity was the reason for the sudden dreams.

"Okay, I'll warn you this will be very strenuous. Here's what you must do: close your eyes, and take a deep breath, open your heart and mind to your winx, and picture yourself calling out to Daphne. I'll help as much as I can. Are you ready?"

Bloom nodded, and licked her dry lips before settling back against her chair. Doing as she was told, she closed her eyes and tried her best to connect to her winx without transforming fully into her fairy form. Then she tried to call out Daphne's name in her mind. But it felt like she was merely shouting into the void of her mind.

"Do not call out simply with your mind, dear," Faragonda said. "Call out with your heart and your winx as well."

She did as Faragonda instructed throwing the name out again, but this time with her winx wound through it like a tether. It felt different this time, like her voice was actually moving through time and space. But the space was thick and sluggish, and getting her voice to go more a few feet felt like she was trying to push an airplane single handedly. Then suddenly another force joined her, a force Bloom realised was Faragonda's own winx. Together their magic trekked through the sludge calling out Daphne's name in unison. Bloom didn't know how long it took, or how far there magic went but finally a quiet voice answered them.

" _Bloom?"_ Daphne's voice sounded faint, and a little awestruck, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Bloom didn't get a chance to answer before the black was melting away. It was almost like she'd been transported right into the bottom of the lake; she could see everything (well only some things as it was very dark) but she couldn't feel the water on her skin, or in her mouth when she breathed in.

"We're here," said a voice to her right, and she turned to see Faragonda appear through the gloom. It was odd to see her headmistress, still in her heels and business suit standing on the sandy bottom, but then Bloom was still in her jeans and hoodie. In her hands, Faragonda held a ball of light, to illuminate the way.

"So how do we find her?" Bloom asked.

But Faragonda ignored her, glancing around, before settling her eyes on a large rocky shape. She narrowed her eyes and pointed. "There."

Sure enough there was a narrow fissure in the rock, and through it Bloom could see a familiar glowing shape lingering. When Daphne saw them looking, she beckoned sharply.

"We must hurry," Faragonda murmured, more to herself than Bloom, and hustled them both towards the fissure. "You go, my dear," she said, when they reached the crack. "But be quick. Our magic won't last very long."

At Faragonda's urging Bloom slipped into the cave first, and walked after Daphne who was walking further in. The cave grew vastly wider after that first tight space, and Bloom immediately recognised it as the cave from her dreams.

"Welcome, Bloom," Daphne said, turning to Bloom with the widest smile the redhead had ever seen from her.

"So, this is what you meant when you wanted me to come to you, huh?" Bloom asked, craning her neck to look around the cave, seeing more now that Faragonda was providing light.

"Yes, there are some things I could only show you in person."

"Like what?"

A jewelry box appeared in Daphne's hands, ornate and studded with fat jewels, it looked heavy, not to mention expensive. "This is from the palace in the kingdom of Sparx. My kingdom."

"Bloom!" Faragonda said sharply from behind her, and Bloom was surprised to hear how weak she sounded.

Daphne ignored her, and opened the chest, revealing a beautiful crown within. It was made of delicate silver, so shiny that it almost looked blue, and was set with brilliant rubies, beginning in palest reds at the edges and working up to a vibrant scarlet in the center.

"A crown?"

"The Ember Tiara, it was made for the second Princess of Sparx."

"Your sister," Bloom recalled.

"Yes," Daphne breathed, eyes on Bloom's face, but the redhead only had eyes for the tiara, tracing the delicate curves and whirls. "The Dragon Fire continues to burn," Daphne said, abruptly urgent. "It burns deep within- _Bloom!?"_

It felt like someone had physically had yanked Bloom out of the lake, for she was suddenly back in Faragonda's office, staring at her headmistress as she gasped for breath. Bloom realised her temple and back were damp with sweat, and her muscles ached as though she had been sitting in the same position for a long time. Faragonda didn't look altogether unaffected either, and was similarly struggling for breath, while she rubbed at her temples as if she was trying to ward off a headache.

"I need to go back," Bloom gasped out. "She was about to tell me where the Dragon Fire burns."

"I'm sorry, Bloom," Faragonda sighed. "I'm afraid neither of us have enough magic to go back at the moment. That brief journey took everything I had."

Bloom understood what she was saying, she felt like she'd gone ten rounds with the Trix, and lost every single one, but she couldn't help but argue. "I need to know." She didn't mention the Trix yet, afraid that Stella and the others were right and Faragonda would insist on taking this to the council.

"We've learned what we can for now," Faragonda said patiently. "I'm afraid the rest of the answers will have to come with time, Bloom. But I'm sure that if you keep yourself open the answers will come to you. Now I believe you have a test you need to study for?"

Recognising the dismissal for what it was, Bloom stood even though she yearned to argue more, and saw herself out. All the way back to her dorm Bloom raged against Faragonda in her mind, wondering how on earth the answers were supposed to come from within when she had no idea where the lost princess was. She was convinced now that the lost princess was alive but she was no closer to finding her where before.

Between her sleepless night and the taxing effort of astral-projecting Bloom was about ready to collapse back into bed. But unfortunately she was all but attacked once she stepped foot in the dorm.

"There you are?" Stella said from one side of her.

"What happened?" Flora said from her other side.

"Did you get the boot?" came Musa's blunt question.

"How did they know you had the envelope?" Tecna sounded near hysterical and more worked up than Bloom had ever heard her.

"You didn't rat on all of us did you?" Musa added.

"Because we didn't do anything," Flora continued.

Bloom tried not to get mad at them because she knew that it had to have been scary to see her sent to the headmistress' office like that, but a bone deep sort of exhaustion was weighing on her and all she wanted was to lie down for a while.

"Don't worry, you guys. They don't know anything about the envelope."

Musa narrowed her eyes at her. "Is that so?"

"Then why'd you get called to the office?"

Bloom pretended not hear Stella or Musa and stepped around her friends to head to the lounge, flopping onto it with a relieved sigh. It felt like pure heaven to relax back into the soft cushions, but her friends reappeared a moment later, crowding around her and demanding her attention. Bloom didn't know why she didn't want to tell the other's about the projection, but something about the tiara Bloom had seen felt private, and she wasn't ready to share it with the others yet. Besides, she reasoned internally, it wasn't like she'd learned anything in the projection that they didn't already know or assume.

"You were gone for hours," Flora pointed out. Bloom blinked in surprise but her room-mate was right; it had been the middle of the afternoon when she'd left for Faragonda's office, and now it was so dark that Bloom would guess she'd missed dinner.

Flora seemed to be the only one who was still concerned about Bloom's second visit to the office because the other's had gone back to talking about the envelope.

"I still think we should open it," Stella was saying.

"But it's cheating," Tecna shot back.

"Yeah, but what if we fail," Musa said bleakly.

"Alright, enough," Bloom broke in. "Everyone start studying, because we're not going to open it. Let's just forget that it exists."

* * *

That proved easier said than done as Bloom found out an hour later, slamming her notebook closed after trying to read the same paragraph 3 times.

"Eugh, stupid envelope," she growled under her breath, raking a hand through her hair. Flora studied on, oblivious to Bloom's struggles due to the headphones in her ears.

But Bloom was having a much harder time of it, her brain flitting between her notes, and the envelope she knew was still lying on the coffee table in the common room. And occasionally out of nowhere her brain would settle on Brandon. Things had been a little off between them ever since their trip to Cloud Tower; they'd gotten in touch a few days later and she'd explained the whole thing but they couldn't seem to connect any more. One of them was always busy doing something whenever they tried to go out, and their previous almost daily calls had dwindled to an odd text here and there. Bloom hoped this had nothing to do with their trip to Cloud Tower but more and more she found herself wishing they'd never gone.

Almost against her will, Bloom felt her free hand creeping towards her phone. Sighing Bloom abandoned her pen and picked up the phone, regarding it with narrowed eyes. She'd called Brandon a few days before, hoping they could make it out to Crystal Lake Gardens on the weekend, like they'd originally planned over the winter break, but there hadn't been a response of any sort.

"I have officially become the girl who calls twice," Bloom said dolefully to Kiko who was snoozing happily on her desk. Still that didn't stop her from hitting Brandon's name and lifting her phone ot her ear while it rang.

* * *

At Red Fountain however, Brandon was oblivious to the incoming call. In fact he wasn't even with his phone where it lay on his bed. Instead he stood facing off against Riven in one of the deserted training rooms, only a single overhead light illuminating the room. Usually Brandon wouldn't be caught dead hanging around Riven for longer than was necessary, but he'd gotten to the end of his rope with the other boy's sly comments about who the better hero was, and wanted to settle it once and for all.

"You just wait," Riven snarled, looking at the blonde with furious contempt. "They're going to have to scrape you off the walls when I'm done with you."

"I'm not here for the trash talk, Riven," Brandon returned coolly. "So if you're just going to run your mouth, I'm going back to the dorm." He yanked the hilt of his sword from his belt and clicked out the shining blue blade.

But Riven didn't make a move to withdraw his own blade, but merely cocked his head, eyeing Brandon curiously. "Then why are you here, Brandon? Why would the precious, do-gooding Brandon break the rules and meet me here? So desperate to get out of your prince's shadow?"

Brandon rolled his eyes. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just here to finish this, and remind you what a massive mistake you made when you chose those witches over us."

"Let's just do this," Riven growled, and whipped out his blade in one swift motion.

Before Brandon could even blink, Riven was running at him, jumping into the air when he got there. Brandon jumped in the air a split second later, their superior genetics meaning that they jumped higher than any human could, and stayed up for longer while they swung their swords at each other. They clashed with a terrifying sound, followed by a grunt from each of them at the impact before they fell back to the ground. They stumbled back from each other, breathing already slightly strained.

"So, I haven't seen Bloom around much lately?" Riven taunted.

It had the desired effect because Brandon's jaw tightened and he was distracted long enough that when Riven ran at him again he hesitated long enough that all he could do was block the blow. Riven was relentless after that, swinging and thrusting his blade, forcing Brandon back on the defence.

"Guess she wasn't who you thought she was, huh?"

Finally Brandon broke through Riven's tough offence and brought a knee up to strike his sword-hand, forcing Riven to drop his sword. Brandon was quick to kick it the blade away before Riven could pick it up, leaving the boy weaponless and subject to Brandon's whim.

"We both know that witch stuff was a load of shit," Brandon all but snarled.

"But you still ditched her?"

Brandon really should have predicted that Riven would be packing more than a single phanto-sword but again he was distracted enough by the taunting that he didn't notice him pulling out a knife and his bola, the latter of which he began to swing threateningly. Luckily enough for Brandon, his father had spent much of his childhood developing and refining his reflexes so he was able to quickly expand his shield and raise it to take the brunt of the attack. His shoulder still ached from the force of the blows of course, but at least he wasn't taking the hit directly.

When his first hits did little more than shove Brandon back a few steps, Riven attacked his opponents feet instead, forcing Brandon to jump and flip through the air. Still Brandon used it to his advantage and landed behind Riven, before landing a solid kick to his back and sending him sprawling. Quick as a flash, Riven rolled over and wrapped the cord of his bola around Brandon's ankle and yanked hard, bringing the blonde down right beside him.

Both looked about ready to abandon their weapons completely and descend into an all out brawl when the door to the training room flew open and an unfortunately familiar voice started yelling at them.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

The pair scrambled to their feet to stand, sweating and panting, before a furious Codatorta.

"Class ended hours ago, and you know there's no fighting outside of class!" he thundered, glaring at them both. "One of the most important days of the year is coming up in a few weeks. you could have seriously gotten hurt! Now what do you have to say for yourselves?"

But both the teens just stood there, avoiding eye contact, hating each other but neither willing to turn on the other.

"Well, since you two like spending so much time together, the two of you can spend all night together, cleaning the armoury!"

"Yes, Sir," Brandon and Riven chorussed together, and went to head off.

"Just a minute, Brandon," Codatorta barked, waiting until Riven had slunk out of the room before he continued, pinning the cadet in place with a heavy stare. "What were you thinking?" he sighed, sounding infinitely calmer than a second ago. Now he merely sounded disappointed, which was somehow worse. "The King will expect you to be in top form for the exhibition."

"I know," Brandon returned shortly. He didn't offer anything else even when Codatorta watched him expectantly.

"Get to the armoury then, Cadet. And I'd better be able to see my reflection in every single piece!"

"Got it, Sir," Brandon muttered and headed for the door.

* * *

Back in her dorm room, Bloom let out a string of distinctly unladylike curses when the phone rang out and she got sent to Brandon's voicemail.

" _Hey, this is Brandon, I'm training to be a specialist so I can't answer my phone. Leave me a message and I'll-"_

Bloom hung up before the beep, having nothing to say in a message, and tossed the phone down with a growl of irritation. She wasn't even really sure why she'd called him; she was torn between wanting to ask his advice about the whole envelope, and just simply wanting to hear his voice. But now she felt ridiculous, not to mention totally rejected.

"Boy trouble?" a gentle voice asked.

Bloom turned to find Flora looking at her sympathetically, her own study notes abandoned. She nodded, and rubbed at her forehead tiredly.

"Yeah, something like that. Not to mention the fact that I can't focus on my stupid notes."

The subject change wasn't exactly subtle but thankfully Flora went along with it.

"I understand," Flora sighed. "It's hard to study when you know the answers are right out there."

A loud and irritated sigh interrupted the otherwise quiet dorm and Bloom heard Stella's door fly open. "I can't take it anymore," the blonde wailed a moment later.

Bloom and Flora scrambled from out from behind their desks, instinctively knowing that Stella was going to go for the test answers. Musa and Tecna must have had the same thought because they emerged from their own room at the same time and all four of them converged on Stella, wrestling her away from the envelope.

"Let me go," she all but screeched, clawing at their hands.

"You don't need to do it," Flora yelled back.

"I do!"

Flora yelped and dodged an elbow to the stomach while Musa spat out curses when Stella dug her nails in to her arm.

"Alright everybody calm down!" Tecna screamed, and they all froze in shock. "This is ridiculous, we're fairies not trolls."

Stella drew in a shuddering breath but nodded and the others released her, leaving her to slump down on an armchair. The others followed suit and they all gazed at the envelope, lying innocently on the coffee table as if it hadn't almost started a brawl.

"We need to decide what we're going to do with it," Tecna continued.

"Well, can we do it in the kitchen?" Bloom asked, feeling a pang of hunger in her stomach. "I missed dinner and I'm starving."

The others agreed easily enough, so Bloom swiped the envelope from the table and they all headed for the door. There weren't many out in the halls but every time they passed someone they all tensed and Bloom's hand closed around the envelope in her jacket pocket, pushing it down further. But despite their worries, they made it to the kitchen undetected, and the big industrial room was well and truly deserted after dinner, the only movements being dishes that were washing themselves.

The rest of the girls made them comfortable leaning or sitting on counters, while Bloom started to gather all the ingredients she needed for a ham, cheese, and tomato toasted sandwiches, one of the few dishes she was capable to making by herself.

"So what are we going to do with it?" Stella wanted to know, while Bloom got to work making her dinner.

"I think we should just get rid of it," Bloom said decisively, even while part of her screamed in protest. "We never should have had it in the first place, so we get rid of it, no more temptation." It sounded simple when she said it like that, but it felt anything but simple to Bloom; she knew the possibility of failing the year was low with her current marks, but the possibility was there, and the idea of repeating the year while her friends moved ahead was terrifying.

Thankfully, before she could change her mind, Flora and Tecna were voicing their agreement. Only Musa and Stella looked unsure but quickly came round, grumbling a little under their breaths.

"Okay," Flora said. "But now we have to decide where we're going to put the envelope."

"Yeah," Stella jumped in. "If I'm not getting the luxury of knowing the answers, then I don't want anyone else to find it and have that advantage."

"And we don't want it to come back to us," Tecna added. "It would be terrible if we got thrown out because they _thought_ we cheated."

Bloom glanced up from her sandwich. "Wait, why don't we just destroy it, burn it or something."

Stella arched a single, perfect eyebrow. "Do _you_ want to destroy something of Wizgiz's. I tried to burn a test of his I bombed last year and it exploded in my face. And let me tell you I did not look good without eyebrows."

Bloom touched a hand to her own eyebrows protectively.

"Well, why don't we hide the envelope in here?" Musa asked, looking around at the big kitchen. "The test is tomorrow morning, and it's unlikely anyone will be down here before then other than Chef Dubois. Then we can come back and decide what to do with it."

The logic was solid enough, so they all nodded, slid off the counters and got to work looking for somewhere they could hide the envelope.

They were only a few minutes into their search however when Musa pulled her head out of the cupboard she'd been rummaging in, a frown on her face. "Hold on, you guys, something just occurred to me; if we all hide it, won't we all know where it is?"

Bloom chewed thoughtfully on her sandwich, wondering how none of them had thought of that. "You're right. So really, only one of us can hide it. Everyone else can wait outside in the hall."

"But the person who hides it would know where it is," Tecna pointed out.

"Yes, but there's no other way to do it."

The five fairies all blinked at each other, evidently waiting for someone else to make the first move and either take the envelope now sitting on the counter or head outside; but no one moved a muscle.

"We could draw straws," Stella finally suggested.

But Musa seemed abruptly bored with whole endeavour. "Forget all that," she said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Let's just let Bloom hide it, so we can get back to studying."

But Flora wasn't so easily swayed. "Why does Bloom get to hide it?"

Bloom wasn't sure if she should be offended or not. "Because I've decided that no matter what happens, I won't look. I promise, you guys."

"You might not be able to help yourself."

Bloom was feeling more offended by the second, while the others were looking at Flora in surprise.

"Why isn't anybody else questioning Bloom on this?"

Bloom wasn't quite able to keep the hurt out of her voice when she spoke, "Flora, you know you can trust me. I'll hide it and this will all be over with."

Stella waved a hand about airily. "Oh, Flora's just upset because she likes to be our resident goody-goody, right Flora?"

Flora suddenly looked like she'd sucked a lemon and stalked from the kitchen, a grinning Stella following, with Musa and Tecna close behind.

* * *

But that apparently was not the end of it. Because even after the light's out bell sounded at 10 o'clock, and the girls bade each other a goodnight, none of them were able to fall asleep.

In her room Stella tossed from side to side, settling first on her side, then rolling over onto her back. She really wanted to just forget about the envelope and get to sleep like the others, but she couldn't get the look on her father's face, or the disappointed words her mother had spoken, after she'd had to tell them Alfea was making her repeat the year, out of her head. The decision to go find the envelope was marked only by a soft sigh and Stella hauled herself out of bed, stepped into her slippers, and snuck out of the dorm.

Across the hall, Musa was stretched out on her bed, and blinking up at the ceiling, having given up on trying to get to sleep hours ago. She was thinking about her father and how ever since her mother had died she'd tried her best to be as small a burden on him as possible. Musa shuddered just thinking about how he'd react if she had to tell him she failed a test. The thought was so horrible that she all but vaulted from her bed, stuffing her feet into the first shoes she found, even though they were on the feet and one was Tecna's, and without letting herself think about it any longer, she hurried out of the dorm and headed for the kitchen.

Flora, in her and Bloom's room, was similarly awake, and similarly thinking about the envelope. For her the idea to go after the envelope had been building ever since they'd walked away from the kitchen. She was thinking of Lilian and how the last time she'd seen her ex-girlfriend, she'd told Flora that she didn't think her going to Alfea had been a good idea. Flora was a little ashamed of how intensely her desire to prove herself burned, but in the end it was that desire that won out, and she too headed for the kitchen.

Finally it was only Tecna and Bloom left in the dorm, and while one dozed fitfully, the other was wide awake having recently jolted awake from a heart-racing nightmare. Tecna knew her friends, and really many in the Magical Dimension saw the citizens of Zenith as emotionless androids, but in reality they felt emotions, had dreams, and fears and insecurities like any other fairy, hero, wizard, or witch in the dimension. They may not necessarily always express those things in the same way, but they were there. In the dream she'd been sitting at the dining room table in her house back on Zenith, her parents across from her, and the completed test between them, a big, fat, red zero scribbled in the top corner. Tecna had woken in a cold sweat, wishing she could scrub the disappointed looks on her parent's faces from her brain. She threw back the covers and slipped out of first her bed, then the dorm.

The click of the door closing woke Bloom from her light doze. Just like the others she'd been struggling to get to sleep all night, both the envelope and the situation with Brandon weighing heavily on her mind. Brushing off the noise, Bloom rolled over, but in doing so she caught sight of Flora's empty bed on the other side of the room. Bloom sat up with a frown and glanced over at the clock on her bedside table, the bright green numbers showing that it was 1:30 in the morning; she'd thought she'd heard Flora get up to use the bathroom a while ago but Bloom wondered if that's really what she'd been doing.

Working off a hunch, Bloom pulled on a jumper and her slippers and went to investigate. The bathroom was empty, but not only that so was Stella's room, and Musa and Tecna's. Sighing in defeat, Bloom shuffled off to the kitchen.

* * *

Stella had reached the kitchen first but knowing that Chef Dubois' quarters were attached, she had the foresight not to switch on the light; it made her search that much harder, but at least she wouldn't be serving detention every night for the rest of the term for being out of bed after hours. Stella was soon joined by her friends not that any of them knew it, however as they all fumbled around in the dark looking for where Bloom had hidden the test answers.

They didn't have much time to accidentally run into each other however because soon enough Bloom had arrived and flicked on the light, exposing them all to the fact that they weren't as alone as any of them had thought. Stella and Flora blinked in surprise when they realised they were only a few feet from each other, Musa jerked away from the cupboard she was rifling through and slammed the door shut, and Tecna tripped in surprise at the sudden light and knocked over a stack of dishes with an atrociously loud noise.

The corners of Bloom's started to twitch, and before she could help it an unattractive snort left her mouth. "Don't tell me everyone wanted a midnight snack?"

The other's all started to laugh themselves.

"I was just making sure none of you were looking," Tecna said between giggles.

"Oh, yeah, same here," Musa added sheepishly.

They only laughed harder, starting to sound a little hysterical, when they heard the sound of approaching footsteps coming from Dubois' quarters. Musa and Tecna hastily straightened the dishes Tecna had knocked over, while Bloom retrieved the envelope from where she'd hidden t in a draw of pots and pans, and Stella and Flora raced to the door to turn the lights off. After that all five of them sprinted off, trying to be as quiet as possible, while they navigated the dark corridors. They didn't stop running until they were back safe in the dorm, where they all stood panting for a moment.

"So, what are we going to do with it?" Tecna asked finally, after they'd caught their breaths.

After all that they were still at a loss as to what to do with the envelope. Finally it was Flora who made the decision.

"We'll just leave it right here," she decided, plucking the envelope from Bloom's grasp and setting it down on the coffee table. "And whoever wants to look at it, at any time, can, no judgements."

"That sounds fair," Stella said, before stifling a yawn.

"Night, you guys," Bloom said after her own yawn.

The girls all offered their own farewell's and yawning, crawled back into their beds to get a few hours rest before they had to face the music.

* * *

There was a feeling of apprehension amongst the girls the next morning as they hesitated outside of Wizgiz's classroom, all too nervous to go in. At Flora's insistence they'd brought the envelope along with them, still sealed as it had been when Bloom had found it.

Through her nerves, Bloom smiled around at her friends. "I'm proud of you guys. I know not looking was hard, but we managed it."

Stella didn't seem to have heard her and let out a terrified whimper. "I can't go in there. I'm going to shame my entire realm."

Musa's head dropped back to thunk against the wall. "My dad is going to be so mad," she whispered, eyes fluttering shut.

Flora clicked her tongue. "You'll both be fine. Stella you studied really hard last night, and Musa you get the best grades out of all of us."

"I don't do well with pop quizzes," Musa said darkly. "They give me performance anxiety."

"We are all sufficiently smart enough to pass," Tecna said briskly. "Besides class started precisely 4 minutes and 23 seconds ago, we really should be getting in there."

And without another word, Tecna did precisely that, throwing open the door and marching inside. Stella followed much more reluctantly, but followed nonetheless, which was why she ran right up the back of Tecna, when the other girl stopped short just a few steps into the classroom.

"Hey," Flora protested, skidding to a halt to avoid Stella. "Why did you stop?"

The four other girls peered around her and were similarly surprised by what they saw. Every single girl already sitting in the classroom had faces covered in mud.

"Goodness, what happened here?" Flora gasped, wandering inside as if in a daze, as she took in the scowl on each girl's face.

"Yeah, seriously, did you guys conjure a mud beast in your last class or something?"

The class didn't seem to find Bloom's joke funny however as not a single one of them laughed, and waited stony faced for Wizgiz to begin. But for a moment all the leprechaun did was quirk an eyebrow at them and smile serenely.

"Well, well," he said finally, once the girls had found their seats. "This is all very interesting… very telling…"

The class shifted and grumbled, obviously confused by Wizgiz's strange behaviour.

"This might just be my most successful exercise yet," Wizgiz mused, more to himself than anyone else.

"Professor?" Flora interrupted, one hand in the air, while the other was clamped around the test envelope. Musa, Tecna, Stella, and Bloom all winced at the sight of it; they'd debated that morning what they should do with it, most of them wanting to get rid of it completely, but Flora was firm in her belief that it should be returned to Wizgiz, even if she had to take the fall for it on her own. "We found this envelope yesterday and we think it maybe belongs to you?"

Wizgiz beckoned her closer, and Flora rose from her desk to hand the envelope over.

The leprechaun took a long look at the envelope before nodding slightly. "Ah, yes, this is mine." Wizgiz made as if to slide a finger under the flap and open the envelope and half the class almost jumped out of their seats, chair legs squeaking against the floor in protest. Wizgiz chuckled slightly in response while Bloom and her friends glanced around in surprise.

"A little jumpy today, aren't we, ladies? Must be all those frayed nerves from staying up late and studying."

The class shifted again, many turning away and avoiding eye contact with their teacher.

Frowning, Tecna leaned across the aisle to murmur to Musa, "Why is everybody behaving so strange?"

Ignoring the class, who were now cringing back from the envelope, Wizgiz ripped it open with a flourish, and surprisingly a cluster of sparks exploded from within. The class surprisingly relaxed a the sight of the sparks, while Bloom and the others were astonished, wondering what was going on.

"Thank god that one didn't have mud in it," Lyra murmured faintly.

Overhearing her, Bloom frowned and muttered back, "Why would it-"

"Very well, now that we've finished out quiz we can move on to today's lesson."

"Wait!" Amaryl snapped rudely. "Finished what quiz?!"

Wizgiz's serene smile was back. "The pop quiz: to open the tempting envelope or not? I made sure you all found one of my envelopes so you would think you'd have the answers to today's quiz. And now the results are in, and those who couldn't resist the temptation to open the envelope are wearing the consequences.

"In class we talk a lot about outer transformation, what we don't talk about is the way you can transform on the inside. Like, say you're the type of person who could never cheat but you find the answers to an important test and suddenly you've transformed into a cheater."

Wizgiz turned his gaze to Bloom, Tecna, Stella, Musa, and Flora. "I am so proud of you five girls. A+ all around."

Stella was practically vibrating in her seat. "I passed the quiz?!"

Wizgiz's smile widened. "Indeed. I hope you've all learned today that the path to becoming a Guardian fairy is a long one, filled with many obstacles. But it's important to remember who you are and stay true to that, no matter what. You can't let challenges from the outside transform who you are on the inside. If you do, you might lose yourself entirely along the way."

And with those final, wise words, Wizgiz clapped his hands twice, the mud fading from their classmate's faces, and began talking about the day's lesson.

 **A little late but here it is. Make sure you leave a review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

It was a miserable night over at Cloud Tower, but then somehow it always was, something about all the negative magic of the place affecting the weather. In their dorm, Darcy considered the ancient spell book Icy had swiped from the school library and arched an eyebrow.

"What exactly are you proposing we do?"

The blonde flicked a look at her friend. "Summon the Nightmare Gargoyle, of course."

"And you've read how much magic that takes, of course," Darcy drawled, eyes tracing over the instructions.

"Are you saying some stupid spell is too much for us," Stormy demanded from her bed, but Darcy ignored her.

"We'd still need that feather, _Icy."_

Icy smirked. "Relax, I have it right here."

She withdrew the feather from her bag, careful not to touch it with her bare hands, and dropped it onto the ground. Darcy reluctantly joined her, and Stormy rolled off the bed, the three of them forming a triangle around it.

"So how does this work?"

"We send our magic, a lot of our magic, into the feather. The magic and the feather react together and send out a signal which attracts and hypnotises the gargoyle. It'll be completely under our control."

Icy cackled at the thought. "Once this works, they'll be too exhausted to fight back, and we'll take the magic right from her. Alright enough talking, let's do this."

Obediently the other two lifted their hands, and as one they sent their magic flooding into the feather. They grunted with the effort of it, as the feather kept consuming and consuming the magic, until finally a high, ringing note went through the air. Gasping for breath the Trix wrenched their hands away and dropped to the ground, exhaustion aching in their bones.

"It should be here any minute," Icy muttered, blinking blearily at the ceiling.

Darcy rolled over with a quiet grunt, and withdrew her pack of cigarettes from her pocket, pulling one out and lighting it. After taking a long drag, she passed it over to Stormy, who happily accepted it.

"Where is that stupid gargoyle." Icy inhaled irritably, but grinned when she caught sight of something crawling in through the open window.

The gargoyle was a truly hideous creature. It was completely hairless, and bony enough that she could see the sharp ridges of it's spine, and was covered in leathery, grey skin. The gargoyle had angry red eyes that glowed in the darkness, and was wearing only a filthy loincloth around it's waist.

"Not very pretty, is it?" Stormy remarked, pulling herself up on one elbow to get a better look at it. The gargoyle hissed in response, and Darcy snickered around her cigarette.

"It's perfect," Icy crooned. "You know what to do."

And it seemed the gargoyle did, because it turned without another word to climb back out the window.

"Thank god he comes pre-trained. I need a nap before we ambush those losers."

Icy grumbled in agreement, but surprising her friends, Darcy pulled herself to her feet and shuffled over to the wardrobe.

"Where are you off to?"

"You old crones might need a nap, but some of us actually have lives."

"Oooh," Stormy crooned cruelly. "Going to see your boy toy?"

Darcy didn't deign to answer and simply pulled on her favourite leather jacket and stalked from the room leaving only the scent of her perfume and cigarette smoke to show she'd been there at all.

* * *

In their dorm room, the 5 friends had managed to squeeze themselves onto one lounge to watch a scary movie, the credits of which were rolling across the screen.

"What a freaky movie," Stella remarked, shuddering at the memory.

"At least it had a happy ending." Tecna's face was screwed up though, no doubt also trying to rid her mind of scenes from the horror flick.

"Nothing brings a family back together like having to fight an evil demon, an army of zombies, escape a few explosions, and survive a massive tidal wave," Bloom joked, before standing to turn the DVD player off.

"And yet my parents are still separated." Stella's tone was light but there was something hard in her expression, and Flora reached over to squeeze her hand comfortingly.

The mood didn't get any lighter from there however with Musa saying, "Movies about parents kinda bum me out. They make me miss my mum like crazy."

Bloom, Tecna, and Flora exchanged glances, wondering what they could say to make their friends feel better but were interrupted by the door banging open and the sight of Griselda's less than impressed face.

"Light's out was five minutes ago," she said curtly with a pointed look at the clock that indeed showed the time to be 5 past 10. "You should all be in bed."

"Sorry, Griselda," the girls chorused as they scrambled to their feet and hurried to their respective bedrooms.

"First warning." Griselda watched them go, waiting for three doors to close before leaving herself, satisfied.

In her room, Flora wasn't feeling quite as satisfied. She didn't much like scary movies and was still feeling a little on edge as the dorm fell quiet and dark around her. A scuffle from the other side of the room had her whipping around, heart thudding in her ears, but it was only Kiko, scurrying around his hutch, trying to find a comfortable place to curl up. She let out a long breath, willing herself to calm down, and slowly climbed into bed, the sound of Bloom's breathing, already slow and deep, lulling her to sleep also.

* * *

As the clock ticked closer to midnight, the air in the girl's dorm began to grow cold and stale, something foreboding seeming to creep through the night. In her bed, Stella began to shiver and her dreams of shoes and shopping began to melt into a familiar nightmare.

 _She was transported back six months to just before she'd come back to Alfea for the new year and was standing before her parent's thrones, the mood in the room oddly somber._

 _Stella's mother, Luna, was lacking her usual smile as she regarded her only daughter. "Stella, dear, we called you here today because your father and I…"_

 _Her father, Radius' voice began to overlap his wife, but it was completely devoid of it's usual warmth. "Your mother and I are going to be living in separate palaces from now on."_

 _The pair glanced at each other before back down at Stella. "We're getting a divorce," they said together._

Unbeknownst to Stella, locked in her nightmare as she was, the nightmare gargoyle had crept into her room and was leaning over, the stench of his breath infiltrating her senses. She gagged and choked, her eyelids fluttering as she fought to break out of the nightmare and wake up.

 _In the dream her parents strode from the throne room with her following numbly behind. But when they reached the corridor they parted ways without even a glance at each other leaving her to fall to her knees, the guards lining the walls watching impassively._

" _Wait," she croaked, staring after first her mother, then her father in the opposite direction, watching as they turned the corner and out of sight. "Wait, please, I need you guys."_

A full body shudder ran through Stella's sleeping form which seemed to delight the gargoyle, for it's thin lips curled up into a terrible smile, and inexplicably it began to grew. It's hands grew and sprouted claws, it's body lengthened, skin toughened, and long spikes grew from it's head. It hissed out a mean laugh and Stella began to cry out in her sleep as her nightmare grew worse.

 _Stella pushed to her feet, the stone floor cutting unforgivingly into her feet as she stumbled after her mother. But something was wrong as she followed the same path her mother had. Rather than the corridor that should have been before her, it came to a dead end, with a large, ornate mirror Stella had never seen before mounted on the wall._

 _Trepidation mounting in her stomach, she approached it slowly. Her fear only grew as her reflection came into view; there was something wrong with it, the eyes too hard, the smile almost a smirk. Then it cocked it's head, even as Stella remained perfectly still, and winked at her._

" _Well, aren't you a pretty thing," it cooed, eyes sweeping over Stella. "I could rip those jeans right off you."_

 _Stella swallowed thickly. "They're designer," she managed finally, her voice sounding weak and childish._

" _Oh I know. I wouldn't expect anything less from the Princess of Solaria. It's too bad beauty's only skin deep, though."_

 _Stella wanted to ask what the reflection meant by_ that, _but some instinct deep inside of her advised her to stay quiet._

" _I mean, you can buy all the clothes you want, get your nails and hair done every other day, throw the best parties in the dimension, and you're still just going to be the same little girl who's terrified she isn't good enough."_

" _I don't know what you're talking about," Stella sniffed, and tossed her hair, regaining some of her composure._

 _But her reflection's smirk only grew crueler as she leaned closer to the glass. "Don't you? Aren't you thinking right now about how you weren't enough to keep your parents together? And don't you wonder every day if you're interesting enough to keep your boyfriend around? And let's not even mention the nights you spend crying in your bed because you're convinced you're not smart enough to rule an entire empire."_

 _Stella trembled where she stood, wanting desperately to walk away and leave this horrible place, but it was like her feet were frozen in place._

" _But you might be right about that. How are you supposed to protect your people when you can't even protect yourself?"_

" _Wha-"_

 _The reflection leapt through the glass, hands outstretched, and face twisted grotesquely into a snarl, as she reached out to rake a taloned hand down Stella's unsuspecting face._

Stella awoke with a scream, and the kept screaming as she clutched at her stinging face, eyes darting to the dark corners of her room, unable to help but think that something was still there with her. Across the dorm, her friends woke to the sound of her screaming and dashed out into the common room.

"Is that Stella?" Tecna gasped.

All four head's whipped around to her still closed door, from where the screams where emanating and rushed inside, flicking on the light as they did.

"Stella!" Bloom dashed to her friend's side and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder. "What is it? What happened?"

The other three remained on their feet, falling into a defensive circle around the bed, eyes sweeping the room for any threats.

"Something was here, I swear it was!"

Eventually they managed to calm Stella down a bit, Flora brewing her a pot of her special soothing tea, and they got the whole story out of her.

"It sounds like it was just a nightmare," Bloom said finally, trying to sound gentle but firm.

"Must have been pretty intense for you to scream like that," Musa grumbled, sinking onto the edge of the mattress, trying to tame her hair, unruly from sleep.

"It was more than a nightmare. Something was watching me, scratching at me." Stella ran a hand over her cheek for the umpteenth time, despite the girls having reassured her that there was no mark.

"I'm sure it was just leftover fear from the nightmare. Drink the rest of your tea, it'll help you go back to sleep."

"She'll be fine," Tecna said, already heading for the door.

"You're probably just wigging out from the movie." Musa looked a tad more sympathetic but followed Tecna back to their room nonetheless.

"Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes that helps."

But Stella shook her head, a weak smile on her lips. "Maybe in the morning. I need to get a couple more hours of sleep if I'm going to be much use tomorrow."

"Alright, we'll be just next door if you need anything," Flora assured her, before heading back to her own room with Bloom in tow.

Stella drained the last of her tea, flicked off the lights, and crawled back into bed. But even though her heart had stopped thudding she still jumped at every scratch and shuffle, so using a trick her father had taught her, Stella conjured a small ball of light and threw it into the air, illuminating the room, but softly enough so she could still get to sleep.

* * *

The minutes trickled on, bringing the night closer and closer to morning, with all the girls sleeping, albeit some better and deeper than others. Then as the clock ticked over to 3am the air which had settled, began to stir again as the nightmare gargoyle slipped out of the shadows and into Tecna and Musa's room. Immediately the dreams of the two fairies changed, becoming darker and terrifying.

 _Musa wandered through the streets of Xiao, her home planet as well as being the largest and most central planet in the group known collectively as the Harmonic Nebula. The streets were chock full of street performers, singers, and vendors as Musa was used to, all the different melodies and voices overlapping each other to create a cacophony of noise._

 _But over it all, Musa suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Musa," the woman's voice sang. "Musa."_

 _Musa frowned, slipping through the crowds in search of the voice. It was achingly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it._

" _Let me sing you a song, darling." The voice hummed a few bars of a lullaby Musa hadn't heard since she was very young, and suddenly the owner's voice was clear._

" _Mum?" Musa broke into a jog, shoving carelessly through the people, eyes darting around trying to catch a glimpse of her mother. "Mum! Where are you?"_

" _Sing with me, darling."_

" _Okay," Musa panted. "Just- where are you?"_

" _Wait! There's no music."_

 _Musa was so intent on finding her mother that she was barely listening. "What is it mum?"_

" _I can't hear any music."_

 _And then finally there she was. The crowd parted and Musa's eyes settled on her mother's figure, sitting alone on a bench, head lowered. Musa sprinted for her and dropped to her knees in front of her, grabbing her hands just to make sure she was real._

" _You're here," Musa gasped, tears stinging her eyes. "You're really here."_

 _Her mother mumbled something._

" _What was that? Are you okay, Mum?"_

 _Matlin slowly looked up and Musa flinched back at the visible pain on her mother's face._

" _I can't hear the music. Where did the music go?"_

" _What are you talkin-"_

 _Musa stopped and frowned, realising that sometime in the last minute the streets had indeed gone quiet. She glanced over her shoulder, looking for a reason the musicians and singers might have stopped but to her surprise she found them still playing; she just couldn't hear the music anymore. Her mother's hands slipped away as Musa pushed to her feet and took a step back towards the bustling street, bows moving across strings, mouths open in song or conversation, but not a note of it audible. Musa turned back to her mother, maybe to ask if she knew what was happening, but the bench was suddenly empty, no trace to show that Musa's mother had been there at all._

 _Musa's heart sunk as she realised not only had she lost her mother again, but this time she didn't even have music to comfort her. Losing her mother had been agony the first time, but then at least she'd had music, she didn't know how she was going to survive this time without either. Oblivious to the world around her, Musa sunk to the ground, the absence of music and her mother like a hole in her chest, and around her the street sof Xiao bustled on, no one seeming to care or even notice her pain._

The gargoyle clambered onto Musa's bed and pawed at her chest with a claw, seemingly digging into her heart, the source of Musa's pain in her dream. Whatever it found there seemed to satisfy it as it began to grow again, body lengthening again, and becoming distinctly insect like, sprouting extra legs, and skin growing slimy. Finished with Musa, and leaving her sleeping fitfully, the gargoyle moved on to Tecna.

 _Tecna dreamed she was back in her house on Zenith, sitting at the dinner table with her laptop in front of her, but frowning because for some reason the computer was showing an error screen, something that was unheard of in Zenith. The words 'Warning. Operator 47896 has caused a fatal error' spelled across the screen, impervious to Tecna's best attempts to fix the error._

 _She stumbled from the table, and tripped her way through the house, checking every screen and system, but they all showed the same error screen. Finally she reached the front door but the city outside was even worse. The large screens that lined the city streets, showing the day's news, the weather forecast, and all other tidbits of information were all down and showing the same error screen and the streets were in disarray._

 _A nearby woman grabbed her arm looking crazed. "The system's are shutting down! Everything's shutting down!"_

 _Before Tecna could think of something to say in response the woman rushed on._

" _Everything's malfunctioning," Tecna murmured under her breath, looking around at all the error screens. She hadn't heard of that happening to one screen in Zenith, let alone all of them, and frankly the sight terrified her._

" _Tecna," a voice said, the owner grabbing her elbow._

 _Tecna turned in relief to see Timmy pushing through the crowd towards her. She was so relieved that she didn't even stop to wonder what he was doing in Zenith, she just threw her arms around him to pull him into a hug, uncharacteristic of her._

" _Don't worry, Tecna," Timmy murmured, his breath a warm puff against her ear. "It's just a glitch in th- don't worry Tec- glitch in the-"_

 _Tecna pulled back in confusion, and was horrified to find that Timmy's features had become fixed and digital, and even worse when Timmy reached up to adjust his glasses, the eyes behind them moved as well, as if they weren't on his face at all. Tecna reeled back with a scream-_

-and jerked awake. Tecna gasped for breath and bolted upright, scrambling backwards on her bed so her back was pressed against the headboard. It felt, for a moment, like there was something else in the room with her and Musa. She sat heart pounding, and head throbbing for a long moment before she finally gained the courage to lean over and switch on her bedside light.

"Musa?" she called across the dimly lit room. "Musa, are you awake?"

Musa's breathing was harsh and loud in the otherwise quiet room, and it sounded like to Tecna that Musa was also having a nightmare. She leapt from her bed and hurried over to her friend, shaking her shoulder, first gently, then more firmly when it failed to wake Musa up.

"Musa? Musa, wake up!"

Musa woke with a strangled yelp and disoriented, look around the room before her eyes settled on Tecna, the question evident in her eyes.

"Do you feel weak?" Tecna asked. Her head still hurt, but her heart had slowed enough for her to realise that she felt unnaturally drained.

Musa groaned. "I don't know. I always feel kinda groggy when I first wake up." But Musa had to admit to herself, what she was feeling in that moment, went beyond the usual grogginess.

"I feel like I've been drained of energy," Tecna admitted.

The door burst open before they could say anything else and Bloom, Flora, and Stella entered the room.

"Are you guys okay? We thought we heard a scream."

Stella arched an eyebrow, taking in their rumpled states and unhappy expressions. "I see I'm not the only one."

"I had a very unsettling dream. And then when I woke up, I felt so drained."

"I had a whack dream too," Musa confessed.

"First Stel, now you guys? This can't just be because of the movie."

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Stella exclaimed, before quieting when the other girls hushed her; the rest of the school was asleep after all. "Let's recap: First I had a dream that had _nothing_ to do with the movie

"Same."

"Same here."

"Then I swear I actually felt something actually scratching at me."

They glanced at Musa and Tecna expectantly.

"My chest hurts," Musa admitted.

"And my head."

"Then I woke up feeling like something was watching me."

"Same for me," Tecna said.

"And you said you felt drained, Tec? What about you two?" Bloom asked.

"Yeah, maybe," Stella said.

"I don't know, guys, maybe it _was_ just the movie." Musa ran a hand over her face.

"Let me do a reading of the air." Tecna sounded a little more confident now that she had something concrete to do. She quickly retrieved her little handheld from her bedside table and returned to Musa's bed where they all sat huddled while it completed a scan of the room, beeping and chirping happily as it did. Finally it was finished.

"Dark magic?" Bloom asked while Tecna frowned at the screen.

"Not exactly," Tecna said, scanning through the results. "But the air is very unsettled. I think something was here."

The sentence was followed by a long silence from the rest of the girls as they tried to process the news that they hadn't been alone in their dorm.

"But how is that possible?" Musa asked, eyes wide. "The barrier-"

"-isn't perfect," Tecna finished. "No magic is."

"We'll research what it is tomorrow," Bloom decided. "For now let's just try to get some rest."

Which was what they did. Without requiring a discussion the girls all set up camp in Musa and Tecna's room, huddling on the two beds, where some dozed and some kept watch for the three hours until the sun rose and it was time for breakfast.

* * *

Breakfast as well as the two periods directly following it - a double of magical history with Professor Callas that was usually very interesting - were pure torture, not only because the girls were exhausted from the night before but also because they hadn't yet had a chance to go to the library.

Finally though the bell rang for morning break and they raced over to the library, not wanting to waste a single minute of their half hour break. Once at the library they headed straight for the research lectern which was luckily as deserted as the rest of the library.

"How should we do this?" Stella asked as they crowded on the platform.

"Maybe nightmare spell?" Flora asked.

"There wasn't dark magic in the air, remember? How about _nightmare creature."_ Tecna pressed a magic coated hand to the lectern and immediately several books came flying from all over the library. They each grabbed one and started reading the highlighted sections.

"This one talks about the Fanged Macaque," Stella said, eyes skimming over the text. "Apparently it can give you vivid hallucinations and nightmares, oh wait- nevermind you have to be bitten by it and I'd think I'd remember if that was chewing on my ankle."

"Wait, I think I've got it," Tecna said. "' _The_ somnum exterreri solebat gargoyle _, also known as the Nightmare Gargoyle, is a creature that's presence causes vivid nightmares of others, feeding off them and absorbing magic when their victim is at their most vulnerable. The Nightmare Gargoyle grows larger and more powerful every time this happens. While mostly roaming in dark forest, magic users are able to summon and control them, using the creatures to target specific people.'_ That sounds like it could be our creature."

"It explains everything," Bloom said ticking them off on her fingers. "It gave you guys the nightmares, it's why you woke up feeling watched, and why you felt so drained afterwards."

"Oh, gooey gumdrops," Flora sighed when she caught sight of the time. "We'd better move it or we're going to be late for class."

The girls sent the books flying back to their shelves and hurried from the library.

"So what do we do now?" Bloom wanted to know, as they started up the many stairs leading to Faylinn's classroom.

"Tell Faragonda. It's got to be the witches." Flora sounded decisive but the others weren't so sure.

"Maybe not," Tecna said. "We have no evidence the witches are involved. Could it be an end-of-term assignment?" she asked, glancing at Stella.

"With this place you never know."

"So, what if it's a class thing and we lose points for telling Faragonda or whatever," Musa asked. "Besides even if it is the witches, I don't want to go tattling to the teachers. We can handle it ourselves."

No one spoke up in disagreement so it was decided, that night when the gargoyle came back they'd attack.

* * *

Bloom watched the sun set from the safety of her bed, while Flora puttered nervously by the windowsill, straightening her new pots. They were Christmas gifts from Bloom, a series of pots each inscribed with a plant themed pun, some of which had made Flora laugh for hours. The brunette anxiously adjusted one, glancing at the words " _say aloe to my little friend"_ and seemed to relax for a moment, chuckling quietly. But the tension soon returned to her shoulders as she caught sight of the sinking sun once again.

The plan was a relatively simple one. They'd had dinner and returned to their dorm early, and once the sun went down they'd pretend to go to bed, hoping to draw the gargoyle out. They wouldn't actually go to sleep of course, and when the monster was least expecting it, they'd attack.

Flora caught Bloom's eye and nodded, the sun disappearing behind her; it was time. Both still dressed, the pair climbed into bed, hearing the sound of the others doing the same in the other two rooms. And then they waited.

It didn't take long, the gargoyle must have been lying somewhere in wait, and soon enough the girls felt the prickle of unease as the air shifted, something entering the dorm room. As the girls had predicted the gargoyle slithered straight for Bloom and Flora's room, the only two who hadn't been affected by nightmares so far. Still, it was harder than Bloom expected to just lie there prone while hearing the breathing of the gargoyle as it shuffled closer. But she ignored the instincts burning inside her, telling her to move, and forced her to stay still, mind whirring as she wondered who the monster would go for.

There was a pause, as if the gargoyle was deciding before the sound of it moving away from Bloom, and across the room, right towards Flora. Again, Bloom felt that intense urge to kick into action, it was only the knowledge that Flora was as ready she was that kept her in place.

Bloom peeked out from under her lashes, barely daring to breathe as she got her first look at the monster.

And boy, was it ugly.

Not only was it massive, nearly filling the room, but it looked to be surprisingly agile, perching on the walls of their room to peer down at Flora's prone form. It's feet were massive, and covered in tough, leathery skin, and ending in hooked claws. Raised spines ran along it's tail and back, ending in a long head and snout, complete with glowing red eyes and a mouth open to reveal yellow fangs.

Bloom had to hand it to Flora, if that creature was panting down at her, she didn't know if she'd have the same composure. But Flora just sat up, conjured up a smug smile, and said, "Gotcha," right as green sparkles flew from her hands, instantly transforming into thick vines that wound themselves around the gargoyle's limbs.

But the vines might as well been cobwebs for all the effect they had on the monster; it let out a growl, more disgruntled than anything else and pulled free, scampering across the room and disappearing into the shadows. A thud a second later told them the monster had reappeared in their common room, and Bloom and Flora sprang from their beds and rushed after it.

They burst into the common room just as they heard a yelp from the other side, a reaction, no doubt, from either Musa or Tecna at the sheer size of the monster.

"Dude," Musa groaned. "It's huge!"

And Bloom couldn't be sure in the dark but she swore the beast had grown even bigger. "Guys, I think magic just makes it bigger."

"Great," Stella bit out from somewhere near her room's doorway. "How are we supposed to defeat it then?"

"We've got a bigger problem. I think it's gonna pounce!"

Musa was right, the gargoyle was drawing still, crouched low to the ground, as if it we preparing itself to attack. The worrying thing was that with how big the monster had grown there wasn't a whole lot of room left for it to attack.

"I think it's time to transform!"

No one disagreed with the statement and it was work of a moment for them to transform into their fairy forms, wings sprouting from their shoulder blades, plain clothes being replaced with their shiny ensembles, and magic thrumming in their fingertips. Across the room, Bloom saw the silvery glint as Stella swiped her sceptre through the air a few times.

"Alright, Beastie, bring it on," Musa taunted, flying into the air as much as she could in the cramped space.

Together she and Stella fired at the monster, powerful energy blasts that connected with each of the gargoyle's leathery shoulders. The girls were on the verge of cheering when the smoke cleared, showing not a single mark on the monster. It shook it's head as though it found the whole ordeal mildly inconvenient and abruptly bored, it headed for the door to the dorm, passing right through the wall and disappearing.

"The attack didn't have an effect on it at all," Tecna said, staring after the monster in shock.

"Tec, did the book say anything about how to defeat it?"

Tecna shook her head wordlessly.

"Come on, we'd better follow it," Bloom said grimly, and they all flew after it.

They shot after it, flying through the hallways of Alfea, unsure where the monster was leading them but throwing attack after attack at it, not that any of it seemed to make a difference. They banged their way through the castle, making a ruckus that was sure to soon draw attention but out of any other options.

It was only after a well-aimed combined attack from all five of them that the monster seemed to show any sign of being hurt. The gargoyle let out a thunderous roar and lunged back at them, swiping Musa and Tecna out of the air with it's tail and just narrowly missing the other three.

"Come on," Stella growled out, conjuring a piercing light beam and directing it at the beast. "Show us what you got."

Bloom wanted to point out that the monster was already showing them up something fierce, but it was kinda hard to when she couldn't even catch her breath; she suddenly realised why her teachers always talked so much about stamina. As it was she didn't get a chance to say anything at all before she was forced to dodge a swipe of the gargoyle's claws. Unfortunately she didn't see it's tail coming from the other side, and it collided painfully with her ribs, throwing her into the wall, and the last thing she heard before everything went black was the sound of Stella yelling her name.

 _Vanessa was staring at her, a sad look in her eyes. "Who are you, Bloom?"_

 _Bloom wanted to ask what she meant but she couldn't find the words. Instead she went to take a step closer to her mother, but Vanessa stumbled backwards, fear creeping into her expression. Mike appeared by her side, his expression a mirror of hers._

" _Who are you, Bloom?"_

 _Bloom staggered away from them, something about the situation terrifying her, and whirled around to find herself face to face with Brandon._

" _Who are you, Bloom? Who are you really? Bloom? Bloom!"_

"Bloom!"

Bloom awoke to the sound of her name being yelled and a stinging sensation on her forehead. She groaned and reached a hand to her temple, the stinging intensifying, and when she pulled her hand away a second later, it came away sticky and red with blood.

"Bloom, I get that you just got clocked with the wall, but I would really appreciate your help right now."

Stella's voice was strained and Bloom forced herself onto her feet so she could see why. Through hazy eyes she could see that the gargoyle had upped the ante and was now shooting acid green energy blasts from it's mouth; and pretty powerful one's if Stella's grimace was anything to go by.

Flora landed on her knees beside her friend and touched a hand to her shoulder, peering at her forehead in concern. "Are you okay, Bloom?"

"Yeah," Bloom said even though she wasn't sure she was, and pushed to her feet trying to ignore the way the hallway tilted and twisted dangerously.

Beside her, Musa and Tecna looked about as bad as Bloom felt, every part of Stella, even her pigtails, seemed to be drooping, and Flora was bearing a nasty bruise on her thigh, and her shoulder was bleeding. The gargoyle as if sensing the fight had left them, snapped it's jaws half heartedly, before continuing down the hallway, heading for the entrance hall.

"Come on," Flora said determinedly, pushing into the air. "We need to follow it."

Tecna huffed her fringe out of her eyes and glanced up at her friend. "We're totally drained, Flora. I don't even know if I can get into the air."

Stella shook out her limbs, as if it would energise her. "It looks like it's headed out to the quad, I'll take us the expressway." She slashed her sceptre through the air, and there was the jolting sensation as the hallway disintegrated around them, reforming as the quad.

The girls weren't feeling completely back to themselves but the short respite had done enough and they felt a renewed energy flow through them as they scanned the quad for a glimpse of the monster. They had no way of knowing that the Trix were watching them closely, and that they were on their way to Alfea right in that moment. They were much more concerned with finding the monster, having no idea that it was right behind them. It's loud roar was enough to alert them of that fact however, as well as wake up half the castle.

"Found it!" Stella called cheerily and shot into the air.

For the millionth time, Bloom wondered how Stella could look so happy when they were literally facing down a terrifying monster they had no idea how to kill, but shot into the air beside her regardless, the others following. The five fairies scattered, making it harder for the gargoyle to take them down with one hit.

The gargoyle huffed an irritated breath through it's nose, and locked eyes on Musa, baring it's fangs. Anticipating the coming attack, Musa was quick to whip a shield around herself, grunting with each impact as the monster shot a series of blasts at her.

While the beast was preoccupied, Tecna drew a triangle in the air, a shimmering green line appearing where her finger had been before solidifying. A quick multiplying spell meant she had a handful of them, and she began throwing them at the gargoyle's back with all her might, trying to draw it's attention away from Musa who seemed to be struggling. But as with the rest of the attacks the monster seemed to barely notice, and certainly it had no impact on it, and to Tecna's dismay the gargoyle blasted Musa out of the sky with a final, well aimed shot. Musa crumpled to the ground and didn't move again. Before Tecna could fly over to see if her friend was okay, the monster spun around at an alarming speed, and pinned Tecna in place with it's fiery gaze; apparently it hadn't been as oblivious to her attacks as she'd thought.

"Tecna! Make a shield."

The suggestion was a good one, but unfortunately Tecna's last bit of energy had gone into the wasted triangles. She tried to gather her remaining magic but the shield sputtered and died within moments, all the while the gargoyle prepared to attack, and her friends watched aghast from above, raining useless attacks down it's head and shoulders.

The gargoyle's first attack connected with Tecna's forearm which she'd thrown up to protect her face, singeing the material of her suit. The next caught her on the ribs and she yelped at the pain.

"Hold on, Tec!"

But her friends were too late, and a final blast from the monster hit her full on the chest and with a strangled scream she too hit the ground and ceased moving.

"Together, Flora," Stella commanded and raised her hands, Flora following suit beside her, while Bloom dropped to the ground to check on Tecna.

Bloom swiped impatiently at the blood dripping into her eyes and searched with shaking hands for Tecna's pulse, which she found thrumming comfortingly, despite the wounds to her chest, torso, and arm.

"Hang in there, Tec," Bloom grunted and shot back into the air.

"This isn't working," Flora panted, casting a desperate look at the castle, where all over lights were clicking on, but not quickly enough; the monster looked ready to finish them off any second.

Bloom tried to summon her strength and ignore the ache in her arms, legs, and back, and the way her magic felt so far away. "Come on, guys," she called, voice weak. "Don't give up. I know we can do this!"

"Oh, did you hear that, girls?" a voice simpered, and Bloom didn't even need to turn to know who had arrived. It turned out the Trix were behind all this after all. "Bloom thinks they actually have a chance."

"How cute."

Bloom hovered in the air, unsure whether she should focus her meagre supply of magic on the Trix who looked geared up for a fight, or on the monster below who was still shooting the odd energy blast. She caught Stella's eye across the fight and the blonde shuddered through a sigh, before nodding.

"We got these wannabes, right Flora?"

"Uh-huh," came Flora's exhausted reply.

"You handle the gargoyle."

"On it," Bloom called back, even though she had no idea how to actually do it.

But there wasn't much of a fight between Stella and Flora, and the Trix. The fairies were so exhausted that their reflexes weren't quick enough to dodge Icy's attack, and in a flash the were encased in a large ice block, surprise etched on their faces. Bloom's breath caught in her throat, and she heaved herself through the air towards the Trix, narrowly avoiding another energy ball from the gargoyle. But her energy was completely drained and it only took a lightning strike from Stormy that zapped through her body and set her hair standing on end, for her to also be caught in the Trix's web.

"You're all ours now," Icy cackled, weaving bands of magic around Bloom so she couldn't move.

Behind them more and more lights were clicking on in the castle, and she could just make out the babble of approaching voices, but between the stinging in her head which had turned into a roar, and the smug Trix who looked like they had everything they'd ever wanted, Bloom didn't think they'd get there in time to help. Icy was still talking to her, monologuing about something or another, but Bloom couldn't make out the words over the sound of blood rushing in her ears.

She did hear the sweet sound of the front doors banging open however, and when a voice yelled out, "What are you witches doing on our turf?"

The Trix spun around and Bloom's head lolled onto onto her shoulder as she fought to see the new arrivals through her blurry vision. It wasn't a group of teachers who had come to their rescue, but the next best thing, a large crowd of angry looking students, seniors by the looks of them.

"Cyrena," Icy growled, glaring down at the fairy leading the pack. "Always butting in where she doesn't belong."

"Icy," the fairy, Cyrenia mocked in return. "Always picking fights with the freshman."

"Because she's too scared to fight fairies her own age," a pale girl to Cyrenia's right added.

"Asteria," Darcy identified, glaring at the second girl.

"It's been too long," Asteria grinned and Darcy hissed in response.

There was a long still moment where the two sides, witch and fairy stared at each other, the witch's faces stretched into snarls, the fairies grinning, before the fairies leapt into the air, transforming in mid air.

"Sunnivi, Elidi, unfreeze those fairies," Cyrenia commanded as she shot towards Icy.

Two girls, similar enough that Bloom thought they might be twins, broke away from the group and flew over to the large block of ice trapping Flora and Stella. The yellow light that collected at their palms, reminded Bloom of Stella's own magic and she wondered distantly if they were also from Solaria; the certainly had the Solarian brown skin, and Stella's height and long limbs, although their hair was a deep brown rather than blonde.

Bloom came back to herself as a cheer rose up from the fairies assembled, finding that while she had zoned out, Cyrenia and Asteria had trapped the Trix into a large sphere of water, and the gargoyle looked seconds away from collapsing under the overwhelming weight of spells it was being bombarded with.

Their exhilaration was interrupted by an unimpressed voice yelling, "And just what is happening out here!"

The triumph faded from Cyrenia's face as she turned to find Faragonda standing in the doorway of the castle, a crowd of teachers assembled behind her.

"The witches were attacking these freshman," she explained quickly, gesturing to first Stella and Flora who were shivering on the ground, then to Musa and Tecna who were being tended to by some other seniors; Bloom herself hung in the air, bands of magic still squeezing around her middle, and blood dripping into her eyes.

Faragonda nodded once to Cyrenia and the girl's shoulders seemed to relax, looking even more relieved when Professors Palladium and Callas stepped in to take over guarding the Trix. Their headmistress meanwhile, turned to the Trix, and for the first time Bloom had ever seen Faragonda looked truly furious. A strong wind whipped through the quad and Bloom could feel the energy crackling off the fairy.

"I've had it with you three," she yelled. "Conjuring a nightmare gargoyle goes far beyond an inter-school prank! Rest assured, Headmistress Griffin will be hearing about this!"

Faragonda lifted a single hand and the Trix disappeared with a screech of rage, no doubt sent back to Cloud Tower where they belonged. Just like that the pressure lifted off of Bloom, and everything went black.

* * *

Bloom knew she had to be in the infirmary before she even opened her eyes; something about the hushed conversations, and faint smell of antiseptic that every sick room seemed to possess. The conversation broke off as soon as she blinked her eyes open, and groaned, reaching up to touch her bandaged head, and after a shuffle of approaching footsteps, the healer, Ofelia appeared at her bedside looking down at her in concern.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Miss Peters. How are you feeling?"

"Ummm…" Bloom took stock of her body; her limbs felt heavy, and she wasn't sure she'd be able to sit up without help, and her head was still throbbing slightly, but she didn't feel on the edge of death anymore. "...tired," she settled on.

"Well, that's to be expected," Ofelia said with a nod. "Your magic was all but depleted."

She bustled away for a moment and returned a second later with a large glass of a steaming potion, which she helped Bloom drink. The redhead hummed slightly at the pleasant taste, and sighed as some of the exhaustion was sapped away.

"And how do you feel now?"

"Better."

"A good night's sleep, and you should be back to your old self."

Bloom pushed herself upright with Ofelia fussing with the pillows at her back, to find that her four friends were also in the room, along with Faragonda, Palladium, and Lysippe. Stella and Flora were in bed opposite her, huddled under several blankets and each offered a wave of a hand in greeting. Tecna and Musa were on either side of her, Musa still out cold, but chest rising and falling with steady breaths, and Tecna bearing a smile despite the bandages on her forearm and chest.

The three teachers stepped closer.

"Hopefully now we can get to the bottom of what occurred tonight," Faragonda said sounding grave.

Bloom glanced at the others, who apparently hadn't told the teachers a thing yet. She didn't really want to explain to the teachers how they had failed, but they were looking at her expectantly. "Well, it all started last night; we started having these really bad dreams, and when we woke up we felt really weak. We weren't sure what was causing it, if anything at all, so we did some research and came to the conclusion that it had to be a nightmare gargoyle. But we weren't sure if maybe this was a school exercise, or something else, so we decided to handle it ourselves, and set a trap for it tonight, but it was too strong for us."

"Then the witches came and we couldn't take both of them on at once. We're really sorry we let them knock us around like that," Stella added.

"We really tried our best," Tecna said, staring a hole into her bedsheet.

Faragonda tool a deep breath and Bloom was half expecting her to yell at them, " _your best wasn't good enough"_ or something, but instead she said, "You girls did outstandingly. This was definitely not a school sanctioned event, but even if it was it would never have been for freshman."

When the girls still didn't look placated, she took a step closer and perched on the end of Flora's bed. "I'll tell you a secret," she said confidingly. "A nightmare gargoyle was unleashed on an entire senior class when I was student here. By the time they figured out what was happening, they didn't have enough strength between them to destroy it. So rest assured I am very impressed that you held up for so long against it.

"I know you have been having some trouble with those witches, and I admire your attempts to handle this yourselves, but this has become unacceptable. I've filed an official complaint with the department of education; they'll see that Professor Griffin punishes those three witches for good this time!"

As if echoing Faragonda's mood, there was a sudden flash of lightning outside, and the heavens opened up, allowing a torrent of rain to fall down.

* * *

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy trudged up the rocky pathway that lead to the main doors of Cloud Tower, rain pouring down on their heads, soaking their clothes, and making their makeup streak. Darcy and Stormy tried to ignore Icy who was grumbling under her breath, cursing Bloom and her friends, cursing Faragonda, and cursing fairies in general. They didn't even react when she kicked at a rock, screeching in pain when the stone didn't yield to her fury.

"We were so close," she hissed, turning to the other two. "I could almost feel the dragon fire in my hands."

Darcy pushed past her with a growl of irritation but Stormy paused, casting her eyes to the sky. "At least the weather's kind of nice tonight," she said optimistically.

"Oh shut up!"

" _I'm_ just trying to look on the dark side of things."

"Well, maybe I don't _feel_ like-"

Darcy ignored their bickering and reached for the door, but before she could a holograph of Griffin appeared before them, arms crossed and looking monumentally unimpressed.

"Curfew passed two hours ago!" she thundered. "Where have you been?!"

"We were just out for a late night walk-"

"Silence!" she bellowed. "I know exactly where you've been, since I've just had the humiliation of being scolded by the board of education at Faragonda's urging. How many times have I warned you when you're wreaking havoc not to get caught!"

"It won't happen again-"

"I said silence! I know it won't happen again, because you're not setting foot back in this castle."

The Trix gaped at the holograph.

"You can't do that!"

"Watch me! You three can't get it together, what with your terrible grades, and your frequent failures, you're a disgrace!"

The holograph of Griffin turned on her heel and reached for the door.

"What about our stuff," Icy gritted out.

Griffin glanced over her shoulder at them, a dangerous glint in her eye, and the next second the entire contents of their dorm fell out of the sky, tumbling all over the path, and getting instantly soaked by the torrential rain. "You have ten minutes to get off Cloud Tower property," she said smugly. "Or the security system will identify you as trespassers and force you out." Griffin sashayed into the Cloud Tower, leaving behind a furious Icy, and a shell shocked Darcy and Stormy.

"My mum is going to whoop my ass," Stormy groaned. Darcy could only gape.

"They will pay," Icy vowed. "They are all going to pay." She let out a screech, a noise of pure anger and stalked off into the night, leaving the other two to gather all their stuff.

* * *

 **So, guess who totally forgot she promised to update once a week until I ran out of chapters? Yup, this bitch. Sorry guys, but anyway here have a new chapter, and the knowledge that I'm about to work on this fic some more. Hope you like it, as always thanks for all the comments, and feel free to leave me some feedback about what you thought/would like to see.**

 **(also holy fuck the doc I'm writing this in is 400 pages long, what the fuck, I can't believe you guys are reading all this, i love you guys)**


	18. Chapter 18

Spring had well and truly arrived at Alfea as well as the girls's final term of their freshman year. The term prior had ended without a fuss, and after a quiet break, Bloom was back at school in the company of her friends. The first week had been tranquil, a calm before the storm of their final exams, the teachers assured them which was how Bloom found herself spending a quiet Thursday night helping Stella coat her hair with a foul smelling, green potion.

"Stella," she said, dipping the brush into the pot. "How much time do you think you spend on your hair everyday?"

Stella sniffed and shifted in her chair. "Ask not what I do for my hair, darling, ask what my hair does for me."

"Okay, so what is this stuff supposed to do for you?"

"It's Flora's own botanical conditioner. According to her, three minutes and my hair will shine like glass."

"That's cool," Bloom sighed, eyes lifting to catch sight of her own hair in the mirror. "Maybe…"

Stella watched her friend carefully in the mirror. "Maybe what?"

"Oh, nothing." Bloom set the brush to the side. "There you're done."

Stella spun around in her chair and arched an eyebrow at Bloom. "Something's on your mind."

"Is it that obvious?"

"I'm very adept at reading emotions, darling. What is it?"

Bloom gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Where do I start? It's been a whole term and I've scoured every book in the library that so much as mentions Sparx and we're no closer to working out where the Dragon Flame is or what Daphne really wants."

Stella waved a hand lazily. "As long as the Trix don't know where it is either, we're sweet."

"And finding my parents, Stell? We don't even know where to _start_ with that."

"We start," Stella said patiently. "By figuring out who would have been in trouble 15 years ago and who would have needed to leave a baby on Earth."

"But that's the thing. Everyone was in trouble 15 years ago. It was the end of the conflict with the Ancestral Witches, Sparx had just been destroyed, dozens of planets had suffered attacks, it could have been literally anyone."

A shadow crossed Stella's face as if something had occurred to her but Bloom didn't seem to notice.

"And…"

Stella came back to herself and prompted, "And…" A beat of silence passed and her face softened. "Let me guess, Brandon? You've got that look on your face again."

"I have a Brandon look?" Bloom asked, stalling for time.

"Several in fact, there's the 'Brandon's making me feel all gooey' face, there's the 'I'm worrying about Brandon' face, and of course the simple 'I'm thinking about him' face."

"What does _that_ look like?"

Stella smiled. "Happy."

Bloom felt herself blush all over and glanced away.

"So what's he done this time?"

"Nothing, really. Things have just been off with us for weeks, and I didn't hear from him at all over the break, and I know he has a tough relationship with his parents so he was probably preoccupied with them, but still, I like him, Stella, like really like him, and all this time apart has done is shown me that. And I was hoping he'd invite me to the exhibition and things could finally go back to being right between us, but it's tomorrow and he hasn't said anything-"

"Wait, the exhibition is tomorrow?" Stella exclaimed, interrupting Bloom's little rant.

She blinked. "Yeah, it's always the end of the first week back of the last term. Which doesn't really make sense when you think about it, shouldn't it be at the end of the term?"

"It's so the seniors can participate before focussing on their final exams," Stella explained absently. "I could have sworn Brandon said they were pushing it back…" she said slowly, more to herself than Bloom. Her eyes flicked to Bloom who looked concerned. "He must have gotten the dates mixed up. As for you, if you really like him, then you can't let him slip away. You simply have to coax the invite out of him, then you can go and have a fabulous day tomorrow, and all will be well." She plucked the phone from Bloom's jean pocket and pressed it into her hand.

"Coax it out," she repeated, staring down at her phone screen as if it were a complex math equation. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"First step would be to dial his number," Stella said cheerily, standing from the chair and stretching. "Comment on something else, like the weather for instance, then segue into dropping hints. Just be casual. You'll be great, darling, now I have to triple wash my hair."

Bloom watched her go, fighting the urge to call her back and beg her to stay. She wasn't sure when she'd gotten so shy around Brandon, but there was currently a swarm of butterflies doing loop de loops in the pit of her stomach. Bloom dropped onto Stella's bed, trying to stay calm, took a deep breath, and dialled Brandon's number. Luckily for Bloom he picked up before she could chicken out and hang up.

" _Hey, Bloom."_

"Oh hi," Bloom squeaked, heart jolting at the sound of his voice. "Just called to say hi, maybe chat for a bit, see how your break was. How about this weather we've been having?" The words just tumbled out of her with her powerless to stop them, but finally she managed to shut herself up. She bit her lip and jumped to her feet, anxiously pacing over to the windows to await his answer.

" _It's been nice, yeah."_

Hearing the faint amusement in his voice, Bloom felt herself relax a bit and looked out at the quad where many fairies were taking advantage of the warm night.

"If you thought today was nice, just wait until tomorrow. I hear it's going to be beautiful."

There was a slight pause before Brandon responses, but when he did he sounded at ease, " _That's nice to hear."_

"Yeah, it's going to be really nice. Perfect for that thing you have, the exhibition."

" _That's good. It would be a nightmare if it rained."_ This time Bloom was sure she heard a note of tension in Brandon's voice.

"Right, it should be a fun day! I hear there will be a lot of Royal guests; how exciting, for me at least, you know I've never met-"

" _Oh shit,"_ Brandon broke in suddenly. " _I'm so sorry, Bloom, I just saw the time. Codatorta's coming around for inspection soon and if I don't get this place cleaned up he'll have all our asses."_

"Oh."

" _But I'll talk to you soon. Maybe we can catch a movie next week or something."_

"Uh, yeah, I guess-" But he was already gone. Bloom stared down at her phone in shock, wondering what the hell had just happened. Soon, though, her shock dissolved into anger; she wasn't an expert on guys, but she wasn't clueless enough to not know when one was lying to her. She didn't know why but Brandon did not want her at that exhibition.

* * *

"That was kinda lame, bro."

Brandon glared at Sky, but as the brunette had his head down, absorbed in cleaning his phanto-sword it didn't exactly have the desired effect. After a moment he huffed a breath and flopped onto his bed to contemplate the ceiling.

"Yeah, I know."

There was a beat of silence, as Sky methodically wiped over his blade. "You ever think about telling her the truth?"

Brandon pulled himself up on one elbow. This wasn't the first time Sky had said something to this degree, but it was the most serious he'd sounded.

"Is that what you want?"

Sky shrugged, and clicked his blade away, tossing the hilt down on the bed next to him. "It might be good to get it all out in the open with her."

Brandon remained silent, thinking on it.

"Look, I'm not saying you have to tell the entire world. And I get why you wanted this all kept quiet, it's why I agreed, but I've never seen you this into a girl before. I'm just saying maybe it's time."

Still, Brandon didn't say anything and after a moment he slid back onto his back.

"It doesn't have to be right now either, god knows tomorrow is going to be hard enough, but soon. Just think about it, dude."

"Aww, you guys are so cute, talking about your feelings."

Brandon and Sky both turned to the door where Riven was looming and Brandon's mind scrambled, trying to remember if they'd said anything incriminating. But they seemed to be in the clear.

"You're so pathetic, getting all worked up over a girl like Bloom."

Brandon pushed himself upright and gave Riven a dangerous look.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean, she's a little do-gooding pixie, why are you bothering?"

"Maybe because she actually likes me, and isn't just using me for her dirty work."

Riven ignored the little jab at Darcy and smirked arrogantly as he took a step further into the room. "But come on, it's not like she's ever gonna give it up to you. Although, maybe she will." Riven's face grew thoughtful. "From the way I hear it, she's been showing guys all over Red Fountain the tight, little body she's hiding under all those clothes."

Brandon was across the room, and had Riven pinned to the wall before he could really think about it. Riven coughed, the forearm Brandon had against his throat cutting off his air supply. Distantly he heard Sky's voice loud and concerned telling him to back off, then Timmy joining the fray a second later, but he ignored them.

"Don't you talk about her like that."

"Yeah," Riven croaked. "Why don't you make me?"

Brandon drew back his fist, intent on doing just that, while keeping a firm grip on Riven's t-shirt with his other hand, but the shift of pressure off his throat was enough and Riven surged forward, throwing them both to the ground.

Riven landed a solid punch to Brandon's jaw before the blonde had the opportunity to get his guard up. But Brandon didn't let himself even feel the pain, surging up and rolling them over, delivering first a punch to Riven's stomach and another to his eye, Riven swearing viciously. Hands pulled at his shoulders trying to rip him away but Brandon resisted, earning himself a knee to the ribs from Riven, which made him grunt.

Over the blood rushing in his ears, Brandon heard first approaching footsteps, then a heavy bang, audible even on the carpet of the dorm, and both him and Riven were thrown backwards to opposite corners of the room. Breathing hard, the pair turned to the doorway where a worried looking Timmy was standing, accompanied by their headmaster.

Headmaster Saladin was a short, ancient looking wizard, with long grey hair, and seemed to carry his solid gold staff everywhere he went. Brandon and Riven scrambled to their feet and fell in to line in front of Saladin, cheeks red and breathing still strained.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you boys that fighting outside of class is unacceptable."

"No, Sir," they choroused in unison.

Saladin surveyed them for a long moment. "Tomorrow is an important day for us all, Sky's parents will be here, as well as other important Royal family members and donors. Not only that but you four are supposed to be a team, and lately all I've heard from your teachers is all the fighting you've been doing. I expect better. Understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Sky, Brandon, and Timmy chanted, while Riven stared mulishly at the carpet.

"Riven?"

"Yes, Sir," he muttered finally.

Saladin strode up to him, something about his presence forcing Riven to meet his eyes. "Do not even think about settling this on the field tomorrow."

* * *

The next morning, Bloom laid on her bed drawing idly in a sketchbook to try and clear her mind. She'd woken early after a fitful night's sleep and was trying to keep her mind off dead parents, mysteries, and blonde heroes until it was time for breakfast. Flora's bed was already empty, the brunette having gone for her usual morning run, and the only other person awake was Musa, who Bloom could hear was quietly playing the flute in the common room. Bloom glanced down at the picture that had come together beneath her pencil, a horrifically realistic sketch of the gargoyle from last term, and sighed, wondering when she'd stopped drawing landscapes, and started drawing monsters.

Her door suddenly bursting open drew her attention away. It was too early for Flora to be back, and Bloom could still hear Musa's tune drifting through the dorm, and considering the early hour, Bloom was surprised to see Stella, looking bright eyed and bushy tailed, walking through the door.

"You're up early," Bloom commented, arching an eyebrow and flipping her sketchbook closed.

"I've been thinking."

"Uh oh," Bloom said mildly. She set aside her sketchbook and swung her legs over the side of her bed, heading for the wardrobe to decide what she'd wear for the day.

"I've been thinking," Stella repeated, pointedly ignoring her. "That we should go to the exhibition anyway."

Bloom poked her head back out of the wardrobe looking unimpressed. "Are you forgetting that we're supposed to be in class, we haven't been invited, and that security around the place is going to be ridiculous because of all the royals there."

"I'm not forgetting all that, I just think we're smart enough to get around all that."

"Get around all what?" Flora walked into the bedroom, face red and a little sweaty but looking curious.

"Stella wants to break into Red Fountain and watch the exhibition."

Bloom had expected Flora to put an end to that plan in an instant, but instead a rare spark of mischief lit up her brown eyes.

"That could be fun."

"What could be?"

Musa and a disgruntled looking Tecna also joined them and they quickly filled them in.

"We'd miss a whole day of classes," Tecna said, looking worried.

"A whole heap of the school is going," Flora pointed out. "We're probably not going to do anything important anyway. My question is, is it even possible?"

Tecna looked insulted, as though Flora had asked her to solve a simple addition equation. "Of course it's possible. It won't take me very long at all to work out a way in."

But Stella waved an airy hand. "Unnecessary. If I can't get us in on my name alone I don't deserve to be the Princess of Solaria. Now let me just figure out what I'm going to wear."

* * *

Bloom felt like cursing by the time the bus dropped them off out the front of Red Fountain. It had taken Stella what felt like hours to decide on the perfect skirt and top combination to wear, and then even more time to get her hair and makeup looking flawless, and now they were cutting it close to the exhibition's start time. Bloom had been hoping to talk to Brandon before it started but she was going to have to settle on finding him after.

If they could even get in at all.

The five girls stepped off the bus, trying to play it cool as they silently took in the stone-faced guards lining the school who'd been brought in special for the occasion by the many royal families who would be in attendance to see their children. Stella cleared her throat, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and strutted towards the front doors, leaving the others no choice but to scramble after her.

"Tickets please," a bored looking freshman asked as they strolled up to the front gates and Bloom nerves abated long enough to wonder what the poor kid had done to get himself stuck on ticket duty. Then they returned full force and she nervously looked to Stella, who had promised they wouldn't need tickets when they had the good name of Solarian royalty.

And she didn't disappoint.

"Tickets?" she repeated once to herself, then again glancing at her friends. "Please tell me he did not just ask to see my ticket."

There was something different about her voice however, something polished and cold, and even Bloom felt her palms begin to sweat in response to it. The kid opposite her looked positively terrified.

"Do you know who I am?!"

Bloom winced as Stella's voice rose and several people nearby, including a few guards, looked around.

"Do you not recognise Solarian royalty?!"

The guards faced back to the front and Bloom swore she even saw a few of them roll their eyes, evidently too used to royal tantrums to consider her a threat. The freshman hero however was going bright red and ushering them through all the while apologising repeatedly.

Stella tossed her hair and strutted through with the others following quickly, and as soon as they turned the corner, out of sight, they burst into relieved giggles and hurried off before anyone could get suspicious.

"Okay, we should go see if we can find some spare seats, or somewhere we can stand to watch the exhibition. Then afterwards we can find the guys."

Bloom hesitated, even after the girls started walking off. She didn't think she could wait through the entire exhibition to talk to Brandon. She'd much rather find him now and get to the bottom of all this drama between them.

"You guys go ahead," she called after them. "I'm going to go see if I can find Brandon."

Stella glanced back with a concerned frown. "Are you sure? The exhibition will be starting soon."

"Yeah, it'll be fine. If I don't find him before it starts, I'll just come back and meet you guys."

"Okay, good luck."

And didn't she need it, as Bloom found quickly enough that Red Fountain was a literal warren of hallways and twists and turns without Brandon to guide her through it, and she was soon completely lost. She unfortunately didn't know any good navigation spells so the best she could do was wander along, trying to figure out where the guys might be, and try to stay close to the stadium by listening to the distant roar of the crowd.

Bloom found herself walking along a long corridor when at the other end a pair of guards appeared, marching in perfect time. A moment later another two appeared behind them, all looking very formal and Bloom faltered.

"Halt!" one of them barked and Bloom froze, then for some strange reason threw her hands in the hand, like she was surrendering. "What are you doing here?"

"I- I'm sorry," Bloom stuttered. "I got lost."

The first pair of guards exchanged glances before one walked towards her, and as he got closer Bloom caught a glimpse of warm brown eyes through his visor.

"What were you looking for?"

"I was looking for some of my friends. They're in the exhibition."

"This hallway leads to the Royal boxes, all the boys are down underneath the stadium warming up. You won't find them here."

"Oh god, I don't know how I ended up here."

The guard pressed a gentle hand to her back and began to usher her down the hallway. "It's alright, it is a bit of a maze here. I came to this school many years ago, so I understand. Don't worry, Miss, we'll get you where you need to go."

"Thank you so much," Bloom gushed as they walked past the three impassive guards and turned the corner at the end, around which stood no less than half a dozen more guards, all standing around a couple, a blonde man, and a dark haired woman both wearing heavy gold crowns. Bloom let out a strangled yelp and tried to turn back but the man pushed her on. "Is that-"

"The King and Queen of Eraklyon? Yes. Now just to the end of the hallway and go down the stairs right to the bottom. That's it."

The man patted her shoulder before hurrying back to his spot at the front of the procession, leaving Bloom to hurry meekly past the King and Queen. Those are Sky's parents she realised as she got closer before realising with an odd jolt how different Sky looked to both of them. The King for one was big and blonde, with familiar blue eyes; his crown was large and gold, and the hand that rested lightly on the hilt of the blade at his side was weighed down with rings. The woman at his side was completely absorbed with the phone in her hand and didn't look much like Sky either; her hair and eyes were dark like his but her skin was much paler and her features sharp and cold, which was quite unlike Sky's easy grin.

Neither took much notice of her as she slid past and neither did the guards, but even so Bloom strode quickly away from the pair, something about them making her nervous, and so she didn't even notice the person behind them until it as too late and they were colliding painfully and falling to the ground.

"You idiot," the owner of the voice bit out and Bloom glanced at her while she rubbed her head.

The girl sitting across from her looked to be about her age, and was pretty enough to be a Princess, but then Bloom supposed if she was with the King and Queen she probably was. She was wearing a deep red two piece dress, the top of which was studded with diamonds, which matched the tiara set atop her honey blonde curls.

"I am so sorry," Bloom gasp, pulling herself to her feet and offering the girl a hand up. But suddenly there was a guard there lifting the princess up. "I really am sorry," Bloom tried again but the girl ignored her and snatched her phone off the ground and held it to her ear.

"No, I'm here, this squire girl ran into me. What was I saying? Oh yes, look, I'll find him and make him talk. By tonight we'll know everything."

The princess seemed to realise that Bloom was still standing there and lifted an impeccable eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

"Uh-" Bloom stumbled out, baffled by how rude the girl was being.

The girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her conversation. Bloom edged around her and the toe of her sneaker hit something on the ground. Glancing down Bloom caught sight of a device the princess must have dropped, but the odd thing was it was projecting an image of Brandon.

"What are you doing with that?"

Again the princess ignored her - and Bloom spared a second to wonder if she was even speaking at all - snatched the device of the ground and strutted after the King and Queen.

"Something's wrong here," Bloom mumbled under breath as she watched the Princess go, a bad feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't sure what was going on yet even as she hurried off for the stairs, but it had something to do with that awful girl, and Brandon, and she wasn't about to let him get hurt.

* * *

Elsewhere, Bloom's friends were sliding into what seemed to be the only free seats in the entire stadium, in the very last row of what was commonly referred to as the 'nosebleed' section. They were ridiculously high, so high in fact they could barely see Headmaster Saladin as he made his way out to give the opening speech.

But Stella had other things on her mind then their seats. "I should have worn a dress." She plucked at the skirt and top ensemble she'd chosen, and her lips twisted in distaste. "What if he wants to introduce me to his parents?"

"They'll love you, Stell," Musa soothed even as she scanned the crowd. "You're the perfect Princess. Besides who wouldn't love an alliance between Eraklyon and Solaria, two of the wealthiest planets in the dimension?"

"That is true. Our empire will be vast and powerful."

"Oh jeez," Musa yelped suddenly. "Is that Faragonda?"

The four friends immediately slouched in their seats, because indeed it was their headmistress making her way into one of the VIP boxes just below them.

* * *

Faragonda hurried towards her seat, so concerned about almost being late that she didn't notice who was in the seat beside hers until she was sitting down. She rarely saw Headmistress Griffin, considering how their schools didn't get on, but they had known each since they were both students in Magix, Griffin at Cloud Tower and Faragonda at Alfea.

"You look radiant, Xantha-"

"Headmistress Faragonda," Griffin replied curtly and the fairy blinked.

Faragonda settled into her chair, crossing her knees delicately, and wondering how Griffin was wearing her usual, dark robes despite the warm day.

"You and I haven't sat together since that concert in our senior year."

"We were both dating that Red Fountain boy."

"Prince Jones."

"We turned him into a goat when we found out he was two timing us," Griffin recalled and for the first time a hint of a smile appeared on her face. Faragonda found herself smiling as well at the memory.

"I understand that you've expelled the three young witches?"

Any traces of mirth vanished from Griffin. "A severe by necessary punishment."

"I wonder if it will affect your results in the Magical Schools survey. You know it's due to be released soon."

"Oh yes, I thought I heard something about that," Griffin said airily.

"Did you hear that Alfea will likely place first?"

"We will have to see."

"We will."

* * *

" _And without any further ado, may I present the first presentation of the exhibition: the Sophomore leva-bike team!"_

Brandon, Sky, and Riven along with three more of their classmates, pulled their helmets on and kicked their bikes into gear, riding out to the thunderous applause of the crowd. There were two jumps set up and like they'd practiced Brandon and Sky rode towards them while the others did a lap around the stadium. Brandon and Sky gunned the acceleration in preparation for the jump and then when they were in the air did a complete 360 flip with the bike in tow. It was the destined crow pleaser and sure enough most of the crowd was already on their feet as they touched down and rode off.

After a few minutes of them performing stunts the jumps sank down into the ground and underneath the stadium, leaving behind a smooth surface for them to ride on. Which is what they did, riding in one formation for a while, before seamlessly weaving themselves into another.

And it was going perfectly, up until Brandon saw Riven ahead of him take one hand of the handlebars and reach into the belt of his uniform for the hilt of a phanto-blade. All of a sudden, Riven was dropping back to ride alongside Brandon.

"You're going down, Brandon!" Riven said, through their inter-connected helmets and a second later a familiar purple blade clicked out.

"What are you doing, Riven?!"

Riven swiped at Brandon with his blade and the blonde was forced to lean heavily to the side, his leg grazed the ground and slowed him down but he managed to avoid the blade. The crowd around above them in the bleachers clapped, oblivious to the fact that this wasn't part of the act but Brandon could practically see Codatorta's blood pressure rising at this display. Having slowed down, Brandon managed to drop back while Riven surged forward, closely followed by Sky who was reaching for his own blade.

"I'm finishing what we started!"

The three other riders on their team obviously bewildered by what was going on raced to the other side of the stadium while Brandon firmly kept his blade away.

"Sky, put your blade away. Riven, this isn't the time for this! You're making a scene!"

Riven cut back towards Brandon, while Sky trailed uselessly. Riven swiped at Brandon once again and he ducked, turning sharply away. But unfortunately two of his team-mates were heading right towards him, and the three bikes collided, throwing him from the seat. The padding of his uniform protected his skin, and his helmet his head, but the jolt of the landing and then sliding several feet was still painful and for a few moments after he came to a stop Brandon could only lie there and blink up at the sky. Then Sky appeared above him, pulling his helmet off, and kneeling down beside him.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine," Sky grunted as Brandon helped him to his feet. "My bike?"

"Doesn't look too bad."

"I'm gonna kick Riven's ass," Brandon growled, already heading for where Riven was sitting astride his bike, hovering just above the ground.

"Not here," Sky muttered as he grabbed Brandon's arm to hold him back. He nodded pointedly at the Eraklyon royal box, and then Saladin's box, where even from a distance they could see their headmaster didn't look impressed.

Brandon and Sky collected their bikes and began to push them towards the exit of the stadium, while the emcee got back on the mic sounding nervous.

" _And a big round of applause for the Sophomore leva-bike team for that… umm, interesting display. And now for the senior fencing team!"_

The boys hurried off the field and down into the basement where all the Red Fountain guys were hanging out between their events. Codatorta met them at the door, red faced and furious.

"What the hell was that?!" he bellowed as they put their bikes away. "I don't even want to know. Get your gear, and get ready for the dragon handling, we'll deal with this mess after the exhibition. And I swear to the Gods if any of you put one toe out of line for the rest of the day you'll be on detention until you graduate!"

* * *

Bloom was sweating furiously as she hurried up from the basement of Red Fountain back to the main entrances to the stadium. She hadn't managed to make it in time to catch Brandon before the first event and she didn't want to bother him during. Besides she figured that girl, whoever she was, wouldn't try anything in the middle of the exhibition, not with so many witnesses. So, Bloom figured she'd go find the others and try to enjoy the rest of the exhibition, and go find Brandon right after with her friends as backup.

But with a horrible jolt, Bloom realised how easy it would be for that girl, and Bloom thought she had to be a witch, to go find Brandon and draw him away from the others in between events, especially if she was wearing the face of someone he knew and trusted. Mid-step she changed course, heading not for the seats, Stella had texted to her, but instead back to where she vaguely remembered the Eraklyon royal box to be.

While on her way, Bloom devised a quick plan; it was probably her sketchiest yet, but hopefully it would get the witch away from the King and Queen long enough for her to work out what was going on. Knowing there was a very big chance this wouldn't work, and feeling nervous in response to that, Bloom reached the Eraklyon royal box and the guard standing by the door to it.

"Excuse me, but Teen Fairy has requested an interview with the Princess."

This was the first test of Bloom's plan; that her assumption that the girl was a Princess was correct. If she was wrong the guard was going to see through her in an instant.

When the guard didn't react, Bloom panicked and began to ramble, "Normally we would have sent notice ahead of time, but we didn't realise she would be in attendance today. So please extend our sincerest apologies to her highness, but if she were willing we would love to interview her… the princess."

Bloom finally managed to close her mouth and waited red faced while the guard stared at her for a long moment. She was sure she was sunk when he didn't say anything, but then he simply turned and opened the door, stepping half-through it to say, "I beg your pardon, Princess Diaspro, but Teen Fairy has requested an interview."

There was a pause then another male voice, which belonged to the King of Eraklyon, or so Bloom presumed, said, "You may go, Diaspro. Sky won't be back out for sometime now."

The girl, Diaspro, if that's who she really was, appeared at the doorway and stepped through, with a guard right on her heels. If Diaspro or the guard recognised Bloom from before they didn't show it, in fact Diaspro barely looked up from her phone, even when Bloom said, "I'll escort you to the press box, Your Highness."

What came next was the other dicey part of Bloom's plan. She was depending on the fact that it would take the guard a little while to notice that she wasn't in fact leading them to the press box, giving her time to get them as far away from any witnesses as possible. As it was, it worked better than possible and they were almost to the stables under the stadium before the guard got wise.

"Hold on," he said slowly. "This isn't the press box-"

Bloom turned on her heel sharply and reached up to tap the guard's head. " _Somnumus"_

The spell was a neat, little, sleeping trick that her charms teacher had taught her. It wouldn't last for long, but hopefully enough for Bloom to deal with "Diaspro".

Diaspro finally looked up from her phone. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Bloom used her magic to slam the door at the end of the hallway and turn the lock. "Me? What are you doing?"

Diaspro scoffed, and rolled her eyes. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I don't know if you're trying to hurt Brandon, or just ruin the exhibition, but either way I'm not going to let that happen!"

"Brandon?! Who is Brandon? It doesn't matter, I'm done with whatever this is."

"Not going to happen!"

In an instant Bloom had transformed and formed an energy ball between her palms, which she directed at Diaspro. It was stronger than she expected however and threw Diaspro so hard against the wall that she crashed through it and into the empty stable beyond. Diaspro clambered to her feet, tripping over both her heels and the hay on the ground, and getting tangled in her skirts, all the while glaring at Bloom.

"Alright," Diaspro growled. "If you want a fight then that's what you'll get."

Diaspro transformed, the long, diamond studded dress disappearing, replaced by a cream corset style top with red detailing, a red shimmering skirt, and matching boots. Bloom, who was convinced "Diaspro" was really a witch in disguise was impressed, but not enough not to shoot an energy blast at her to try to catch her off guard.

But Diaspro was good and flew into the air to avoid it. She dove at Bloom and tackled her to the ground, and Bloom kicked out at her with her heavy boots. The blonde fairy yelped in pain and jumped back.

"Get away from me, you witch!"

Diaspro screeched in outrage. "I assure you, despite what the tabloids like to say, I am not a witch! I'm Princess Diaspro of the realm, Juvel, and you are so going to regret this!"

Bloom clambered to her feet but was distracted long enough that she didn't notice the white ring that appeared in Diaspro's hand. The princess threw it at Bloom and it wrapped itself around her waist, trapping her arms by her sides and blocking her magic.

"Argh!" Bloom struggled with the ring while Diaspro hurried for the door. But Bloom broke her restraints after a moment and was quick to nail Diaspro with a well aimed energy ball.

"What do you want from me?!" Diaspro yelled from where she lay sprawled on the ground.

"I want you to leave Brandon alone!"

Diaspro flipped over and shot an energy ball at Bloom, catching her in the ribs and throwing her against the opposite wall. The redhead slid to the ground trying to catch her breath. Diaspro flew into the air and a second later Bloom joined her.

" _Crown Jewel Attack!"_

At her command, 6 large gems appeared around Diaspro's floating form. She flicked her wrist and one flew at Bloom, who unprepared for the speed of the attack was caught on the arm by the jewel. The gem's edge was razor sharp, and cut through Bloom's arm guard and deep into her skin, which immediately started to sting and drip with blood. Bloom gasped and clutched at her wounded arm, all the while dodging more and more flying gems and energy blasts from Diaspro.

"You're finished," Bloom growled, hurling a handful of flames at Diaspro, who dodged it.

"Looks like you're the one who's finished," Diaspro shot back with a pointed look at Bloom's bleeding arm.

"I'm just getting started!"

* * *

Completely unaware of the fight going on beneath their feet, the crowd watching the exhibition cheered loudly as the Sophomore dragon handling team walked out.

" _From lands, distant and unexplored, the mustang dragons!"_

There were four of them in total, one for each of the best dragon handlers in the year, Brandon, Sky, Riven, and Timmy, their dragon marked by the colour collar around it's neck, the same as the colour phanto-blade they used (green for Sky, blue for Brandon, yellow for Timmy, and purple for Riven).

" _These wild and dangerous beasts are some of the fiercest dragons of all the known realms! But fear not, our Sophomores have spent the last year spending time with these dragons, and developing techniques to keep them in control. They will now demonstrate the power of this bond!"_

Through a series of clicks, whistles, and claps, the four boys beckoned their dragons towards them, and then led them into a circle, encouraging them to walk around first clockwise, then counter clockwise.

The type of dragon handling they were doing was a lot harder than it looked, and was dependant on a high level of trust and communication between the hero and his dragon. The boys had to be carefully tuned into the needs and moods of his dragon, in order to know how and when to push, and when to let up. Every time a dragon completed a command successfully they were rewarded with a treat.

Still despite the concentration they needed and the warning they'd gotten from Codatorta, Riven insisted on annoying Brandon during their performance.

"I'm taking you down, Brandon."

Brandon gritted his teeth but didn't otherwise react, concentrating instead on keeping his dragon happy, and moving.

"I'm going to finish you off in front of this whole crowd. You are history."

Fed up, Brandon abruptly nudged Riven sharply, and both Riven and his dragon stumbled.

"Shut up already, we need to concentrate."

The next part of their performance was the most difficult: getting the dragon to all fly into the air at the same time, while also keeping them in their circle. As one the guys cracked their hands together and on command the dragon leapt into the air, flying obediently in circles. A murmur of appreciation travelled through the audience.

"You're dead, Brandon. No one makes a fool of me like that, my dragon is going to pulverise yours."

Brandon whipped around to stare at Riven in shock, and if sensesing his concentration shift, his dragon began to fly closer to Riven's. Brandon hastily gestured it back, before glancing at his team mate.

"What are you talking about?"

They were taught very specifically never to exert their will onto an unwilling dragon, and to never, ever, under no circumstances were they to turn their dragon on one of their teammates.

"You wouldn't!"

That was apparently the wrong thing to say because Riven gestured sharply for his dragon to turn around, which it did after only a moment's hesitation, flying straight into Brandon's dragon. There was a large inhale of breath that went around the stadium, and a lot of confused flapping and roaring from the dragons as they tried to avoid each other, before they settled down, slightly apart from each other, waiting for their next command.

"Riven, stop! Don't settle your problems through the dragons!"

But Riven wasn't listening and gestured again for his dragon to fly at Brandon's, which it did, pinning it against the stadium wall. Brandon's dragon roared in anger and bucked against it's hold, snapping his jaws threateningly. Above the crowd murmured and shifted uncomfortably.

" _No worries, folks. Just a little tension, the boys will get them back under control."_ The emcee was obviously trying to sound as upbeat as possible, but there was an obvious note of tension in his voice.

Timmy and Sky shifted but just concentrated on keeping their own dragons calm and well away from the other two.

"Riven, stop, you're being stupid! Rein in your dragon, or I'll do it for you!"

When Riven didn't make a move, Brandon whistled sharply, the one command that all the dragons were taught to respond to from anybody, it meaning to stop whatever they're doing and return to the ground in a docile position. The effect was instantaneous and all four dragons dropped to the ground immediately, lying down on their bellies, and showing their necks in a clear submissive position. Riven tried to force his dragon up again, but it resisted obviously confused by all the different commands.

Before anything further could happen, Codatorta came running out onto the field, followed by a bunch of senior dragon handlers, each armed with a tranquiliser gun, which they didn't hesitate to use. While the dragons were still semi coherent they begun whistling for them to return to their stables, which they did so willingly.

Codatorta dismissed the seniors and began frog marching the guys off the field. "You boys, are in so much trouble," he promised in an undertone.

Brandon hung his head, clearly ashamed at allowing it to escalate like it did, while Riven just scowled, looking ready to pick another fight. But before he could, the ground started rumbling with a whole new threat.

Brandon could honestly say the last thing he expected when the ground crumbled in, was for Diaspro and Bloom to emerge from the smoke. But then he figured everything else that day had gone wrong, so maybe he really should have.

He was completely stumped why they were fighting each other though.

"Bloom?!" he yelled, watching as she caught Diaspro on the side with a fireball. "Diaspro!"he added when she sent a gem at Bloom, which he knew from personal experience was razor sharp. His worry only increased when he realised they both were sporting serious looking injuries.

"Had enough yet?" Diaspro taunted, whipping another gem at her.

"I've only had enough when I know you aren't going to hurt Brandon!"

"This is not good," Sky said, materialising beside him, and Brandon had to agree.

He chanced a look at Codatorta who was frozen in shock, and then up at the Eraklyon Royal box where the King and Queen were on their feet and torn between bafflement and anger. The rest of the crowd were either watching on, or fleeing from the scene, and he could see every single camera in the press box on and tuned in to catch the fight.

"So not good," he agreed.

"You can have the little squire boy," Diaspro screeched at Bloom, shooting a plethora of energy bursts which sent Bloom tumbling through the air.

She righted herself quickly enough and with a grunt she sent a massive wave of fire back at Diaspro, destroying her gems, and sending her falling to the ground which she hit with a hard thud.

"Diaspro," Brandon yelped when she didn't move and hurried over to her side. "Hey," he murmured, pulling her up to sit against him. She came around fairly quickly enough and pulled back to blink at him blearily. "Sky," she said in clear relief and slumped back against him. The blonde's lips twisted briefly, wishing he could be anywhere but here.

"Brandon?" Bloom called. "You know her?"

Diaspro's head lolled around to glance at Bloom. "What is she talking about? She's crazy."

"No," he muttered in response. "Just misinformed."

"Sky-" she began but he ignored her and, pulling her up with him and faced Bloom for the first time.

But it was so much worse than he had realised. Because not only had a crowd formed to watch the fight, but Stella, Musa, Tecna, and Flora had all appeared behind Bloom in clear support, and to make matters even worse he could see his parents accompanied by Saladin and Faragonda pushing their way to the front. He closed his eyes, feeling as if the earth was already moving under his feet.

"Brandon?" There was that voice again, sweet, innocent, trusting, but not for long, not when she learnt how he had lied to her. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I," Diaspro piped up from behind him but he ignored her.

"I- I'm so sorry, Bloom." He took a step closer and tried to keep his voice low. Not that it would keep this private from the hundreds of cameras he knew had to be trained on him. He felt someone shift beside him and just knew that it was his brunette friend coming to stand by him. "This isn't how I wanted you to find out."

"Find out what, Brandon?"

"That-" he swallowed roughly, wondering how on earth he was going to say this.

Turns out he didn't have to.

"His name isn't Brandon," Diaspro said suddenly. "He's Prince Sky. And my fiance."

Sky didn't have it in him to even be mad at Diaspro for butting in, he was too concerned by the complete and utter devastation on Bloom's face. She stumbled back first one step, then another couple when he went to move nearer. She stared at him for a long moment, then to his horror her eyes began to fill with tears and she glanced away.

"Please," a tightly controlled voice said suddenly, and Sky tore his eyes away from Bloom to glance at Stella beside her, who looked like she was ready to snap. "Please, tell me this is all some weird joke."

Brandon, the real Brandon, beside him cleared his throat. "It's no joke," he said, still sounding hoarse. "I'm not Prince Sky, I've been pretending for the last two years."

Stella's face crumpled and Sky honestly didn't know if she was going to cry or attack them. But then a second later her face smoothed over and she drew herself up to her full height.

"Don't you dare speak to me or my friends again," she said viciously. "Either of you," she added with a contemptuous look at Sky, before turning on her heel and leading the others away.

Brandon let out a long shuddery breath and Sky wanted to comfort him but he was frozen, the image of Bloom's face seared into his mind. He might have stood there all day, agonising over her, if his father hadn't chosen that exact moment to speak.

"Saladin, we need to have a serious discussion right this instant! Not only has one of my own party been attacked by some commoner, but I've seen my son's life endangered twice. Fighting during the leva-bike display, out of control dragons, it's simply preposterous! I demand something be done about this!"

* * *

Saladin, to his ever-lasting credit took control of the situation smoothly. He quickly ushered King Erendor, Queen Samara, Brandon, and Sky all from the stadium and up to his office, where the three of them disappeared while Brandon and Sky waited outside. Which they did for the next hour, in near silence, listening to Erendor shout himself hoarse at Saladin. Finally, what felt like years later the door opened and their headmaster stepped outside.

"They've requested you, Sky," Saladin said, with only the barest trace of sympathy before departing altogether, and leaving him to face the music. He and Codatorta had been the only two at Red Fountain besides Brandon, who knew his real identity.

"I am so dead," Sky said to the empty hallway.

"Tell me about it," Brandon muttered, beside him and Sky glanced over to see Brandon's father, and the captain of the Eraklyon Royal Guard approaching.

"Good luck," he said, even though he didn't think his friend needed it. Jonas was one of the kindest, most gentle people he had ever met, and couldn't imagine him staying mad at his eldest son for long. Brandon didn't answer and after a moment, he headed inside, leaving his friend to face his own kind of music.

Jonas came to a stop before his son; he'd taken off his helmet and had it tucked under his arm, and stared down at him for a long moment with warm, brown eyes. Brandon's eyes, or so he was often told.

"Walk with me, son," he finally said, and nodded at the hallway.

And for a while that's all they did, walked along in silence, both absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Well, that was…" Jonas began.

"An absolute shit show?" Brandon said immediately, before wincing, expecting a beration for cursing. But for once Jonas seemed to deem it appropriate.

"Indeed."

They lapsed back into silence and continued with their stroll.

But eventually Brandon couldn't take it any longer and blurted out, "Am I fired? Am I losing my squireship?"

Jonas dragged in a heavy breath. "I do not know yet. I've yet to discuss the matter with the King."

"I'm sorry, Papa," Brandon said, voice anguished. "I'm so sorry. I know how much you and Mama need the money, and I know I've disappointed you with how I've acted, how I handled the situation."

Jonas stopped walking completely and turned to his son, eyes wide even as Brandon looked determindly at the floor. "Brandon." He took his son's face between his two hands, forcing him to look at him. "Son, I could never be disappointed in you." He held Brandon there for a long moment to make sure he understood before kissing his forehead.

They broke apart a minute later, both surreptitiously wiping at their damp eyes, and wordlessly began walking again. Jonas cleared his throat, and Brandon glanced over to see his moustache twitching cheekily.

"So, the Princess of Solaria, eh?"

* * *

Sky had been told over and over again since he was a child how much he looked like his father and he supposed he did. They were both blonde after all, though Sky chose to wear his hair long, and they had the same blue eyes. Erendor cleared 6 foot with ease and Sky was well on the way to doing the same, and they both had the same broad shouldered, and trim waisted figures. So yes, Sky could admit they did look fairly similar, but that didn't mean Sky thought they were all that alike at all.

And for some reason it was this that he was thinking about as, with all the enthusiasm of a firing squad candidate, he walked in to talk to his parents. His father was squashed behind Saladin's desk, which had really been designed for someone of a much smaller stature, with his mother, standing blank-faced behind him, hand on his shoulder, as though she'd been trying to calm him down.

"Sit," Erendor barked, the second the door was closed and Sky hastened to obey, having learnt at a young age that it was best if he did everything he could to keep on his father's good side. "Now," his father continued. "I don't suppose I even have to say how disappointed I am?"

"No, Sir," Sky muttered.

"Good. Then maybe you'd like to explain to me just what has been going on these past months?!"

Sky winced at his father's tone and volume, but kept his face perfectly neutral. "I'm not sure what you mean, Sir."

Erendor's face contorted as he snarled, "Don't toy with me, Sky. You know exactly what I mean." When Sky said nothing he continued, "Let's start with today then, shall we? Fighting during leva-bike racing? Using dragons like toys in your personal grudge match? We raised you better than than."

Still Sky said nothing, not that Erendor even seemed to notice.

"And Saladin informs me that this isn't even the first time. You and this- Riven, boy have been fighting outside of class, arguing on missions. I don't understand what the problem is."

Erendor was on a roll now, and didn't miss a beat as he stood and began pacing behind the desk.

"We always taught you, if someone has a problem with you, you go to them directly and work out a solution. None of this nonsense and petty fighting."

"Right," Sky muttered. "Be better. Got it. Was that all?" He started to rise from his chair.

"Sit!"

Sky slumped back down.

"That is certainly not all!" Erendor was really working himself now, pacing faster and faster, as he gestured sharply with his hands, and his face started to turn red. "Then there's this business with getting your squire to pretend to be you. It was your idea! Don't forget that! And I never really understood it, not really; we kept you out of the public eye for so long, were very careful to make sure you had a childhood away from all that."

Sky had to fight very hard not to scoff at that.

"But I thought maybe he needs a few more years to work out who he is, and then he'll be ready. And besides as you argued, it was smart from a protection standpoint. Eraklyon has so many enemies and no one outside of Eraklyon even knew what you looked like. Gods know I didn't like putting another child in danger to keep you safe, but both he and his parents were willing.

"But now I realise why you really wanted to change your identity; you wanted to be able to date some commoner without it getting back to your mother or me, or your fiance!"

Sky flinched, at both the volume of his father's voice but also the word 'fiance'.

"You wanted to have a little bit of fun before you had to get married, huh?! But you didn't think for just one second the repercussions of your actions?!"

"You have no idea what I thought about," Sky yelled back, jumping up from his seat, finally getting fired up. "Of course I thought about how badly this could end!"

"So then, why did you do it, Sky?" Samara asked, speaking for the first time.

"Because I don't want to marry Diaspro!"

Samara and Erendor reeled back in shock, and Sky supposed it would be pretty shocking considering he'd never said anything like this before, and he'd certainly never opposed his parents so willingly before.

Erendor recovered first, turning to his wife and gesturing furiously at Sky. "I knew he wasn't ready for this responsibility!"

"Erendor, hush," Samara all but snapped, before turning to her son. "Sky, what are you talking about? You've never said anything like this before."

"Because I knew how much you wanted me to do it. And I wasn't even fifteen, I didn't know what I wanted, I didn't know what to say when you got me and Diaspro together, my childhood friend and informed us that once we graduated we'd be getting married. And then I got to Red Fountain and it was like a ticking time bomb. Every day I got closer to graduation, I got closer to this, and I realised how much I didn't want to do it."

"But why, Sky? We made sure you and Diaspro were friends, that you liked each other-"

"This isn't about any of that," Erendor said brusquely. "This is about him not being willing to do what's best for his kingdom!"

"And what is so good about an Erendor - Juvel empire?! Besides combining two of the wealthiest realms and lining your pockets?!"

For a second Sky thought he'd pushed his father too hard and that Erendor was actually going to hit him this time. But the moment passed and instead Erendor's face simply contorted while he bit out, "Don't push me, son."

"If building an empire had really been the best option for our kingdom then why didn't you just trust me to do that. If it really was the best option for us, then I'd like to think I'd have chosen to do it anyway. But instead you took choice completely out of the equation and basically decided my future for me when I was a toddler."

Out of everything that had been yelled in Saladin's office that afternoon, that seemed to be the first thing to actually have an effect on his parents, because they shared a long look, which Erendor came away from looking resigned.

"Alright," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Perhaps… perhaps we failed to take your feelings on the matter into consideration."

Sky felt his heart leap, but tried to tamp it down, unwilling to get his hopes up.

"We're not saying we're calling off the engagement. But perhaps more discussion is needed before we make a decision."

"A decision you have more input in," Samara added.

"Thank you."

"You know we love you, my son? That we make these decisions because we want what's best for you?"

"I know, mother," Sky sighed, even though he didn't really, and stepped into his mother's waiting arms. "I know."

* * *

Brandon wasn't waiting for him when he got out of Saladin's office, so Sky headed for their dorm room feeling only a tad lighter after talking to his parents. He knew the chances of them changing their mind after planning this marriage for years were slim to none, but at least they were entertaining the notion. It didn't solve the rest of the mess his lies had created but at least it was something.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't feeling apprehensive as he turned the knob, pushed open the door to his dorm, and stepped inside. The dorm was deathly silent, unusual for them since Riven was usually blasting music, Timmy's computer was usually making some sort of noise, and Brandon was usually working out. But when he stepped into the dorm, Brandon, Timmy, and Riven were sitting there in silence. Well, Brandon, and Timmy were sitting in silence.

Riven was leaning against the door to his room, and gave Sky a long searching look as he stepped inside. "Should have known _you_ were the prince, golden boy," was all he said, before pushing off the door and disappearing into his own room.

Timmy, sitting on one of the couches, fidgeted with his glasses. "Why didn't you tell us?" he asked abruptly, and immediately blushed scarlet and glanced down at the floor. "I mean, the first couple of months, I get. You didn't know me that well, didn't know if you can trust me. But we've been roommates for two whole years."

Brandon and Sky exchanged glances, both searching for the right words.

"And even Riven, I understand. You guys have never got on that well, but we-" Timmy finally glanced up at them, and Sky's stomach panged uncomfortably at the hurt on his face. "I thought we were friends."

Timmy pushed off the lounge and Sky and Brandon followed a second later, both bursting into chatter.

"No, Timmy, that isn't-"

"Of course you're our friend-"

But Timmy was already gone. He wasn't immature enough to slam the door behind him but somehow the sound of it quietly clicking shut was even worse. Sky slumped back onto the lounge and rubbed tiredly at his brow.

"Well, that could have gone better," Sky joked, even though he didn't find the situation remotely funny.

Apparently, Brandon wasn't in the mood either because he made a disgusted sound and kicked out at the coffee table, foot connecting with a harsh crack. Sky bit his lip and ran a hand nervously through his hair.

"Look, I know this wasn't how we wanted this to go down, and that you've been telling me for weeks that we should come clean. But we knew this could happen when we decided to do this."

Brandon snorted, an ugly sound, and Sky caught sight of him rolling his eyes as he turned away to pace through the dorm common room.

"What?" he asked sharply.

"You keep saying 'we'. 'We knew this', 'we should come clean', 'we decided' even though it felt the exact opposite for me."

Sky felt his skin run cold and he stood, even though Brandon refused to look at him. "What do you mean? We made this decision together. You agreed."

Brandon gave a harsh bark of laughter and whirled around. "Did I, Sky? You're a prince, I'm your squire, it's not like I could say no."

Sky felt it like a verbal slap and actually staggered back a step, and for a long moment he could only stare at his friend, if he could even call him that.

"Right?" he murmured. "How long exactly, have you been agreeing to stuff just because you're my squire? Or has it been our whole friendship?" Sky's stomach dropped. "Or were you just pretending to be my friend because your family needed the money that came with being my squire?"

Brandon's jaw clenched, and he looked away, saying nothing. Message received.

"Got it," Sky muttered, and pushed his way from the dorm before Brandon could see the tears pricking his eyes.

He supposed he really should have been used to it, he'd spent his entire childhood fending off other young royals who'd only wanted to hang out with him because they wanted the fame, or because their parents wanted to get in good with the King and Queen. But he'd thought Brandon was different. It had been years since he'd been insecure enough to wonder if Brandon was only pretending to be his friend to keep his squireship and all the money and perks that came along with it. But now he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been.

He pushed his way into one of the Red Fountain gyms which was completely empty due to the exhibition, and quickly made his way over to a punching bag. He didn't even bother to wrap his hands before he slammed his fist into the tough material, the first sob tearing from his throat.

* * *

Bloom, Stella, Musa, Tecna, and Flora returned to the castle on the bus in relative silence, still mulling over the bomb that had just been dropped on them. Stella and Bloom were particularly shell-shocked, not even noticing the stares and whispers they were attracting as the news hit the realm wide web.

They had barely stepped inside the gates to Alfea, when Faragonda appeared before them, cheeks red, and lips thin, looking more furious than any of the girls had ever seen her. Griselda, right behind her didn't look much happier.

"My office, this instant." Faragonda didn't yell, but the cool disappointment in her voice was ten times worse, so they trooped up to her office with their heads hung low. Faragonda waited until she was comfortably settled behind her desk, with the girls lined up opposite, feeling a bit like targets of a firing squad, to speak. "I'd like you to explain to me," she began, and her voice trembled, showing the girls exactly how close to exploding she was. "Just what you were thinking?"

None of them spoke, even Stella, who was usually the first to jump in and argue their way out of trouble. When Bloom glanced along the line to her, she was surprised to find her friend staring holes into the ground looking on the verge of tears.

"You left the school grounds without permission, used your powers irresponsibly, ruined the exhibition, and sullied the Alfea reputation!"

"This is grounds for expulsion!"

Finally the girls seemed to come alive and a whisper of worry passed through them. Stella blinked and finally focussed on their headmistress.

"But the boys lied to us! How were we supposed to react?"

"That is besides the point, Miss Haleigha," Faragonda said sharply. "How do you explain getting into a fight with Princess Diaspro?"

All eyes turned on Bloom, who felt her cheeks pinken. The blush only got worse when she remembered how wrong she'd been. "I thought Bran- I thought she was a witch in disguise and going to ruin the exhibition."

"You managed to do that all on your own," Griselda said meanly.

"You abused your privileges and responsibilities, and disrespected the freedom that we allow you here at Alfea. And Griselda is right; we will have to meet with the rest of the staff to decide if your grades and past behaviour are enough for us to overlook this incident."

"What happen if you decide they aren't?" Flora asked, voice small.

"Then you will not be invited back to Alfea next year."

Bloom swayed on her feet a little, hearing that, and the rest of her friend didn't seem to fare much better. Musa looked like she was going to lose her lunch, Tecna's face was scarily blank, Stella was very pale, and Flora looked like she was a second away from bursting into tears.

"In the meantime," Griselda said. "We need to decide on punishment. Normally we'd suspend your powers, but at this point in the year I suggest dilution, headmistress, so that they may continue their studies."

"That's fine," Faragonda said, sounding tired.

"A fifty percent dilution should keep you out of trouble."

Bloom had hoped never to have to endure a block on her powers again, and the spell was no easier to handle this time around. But the ache from losing her powers had nothing on the pain in her chest, and she was glad when they were dismissed a few minutes later.

* * *

"How did they even get away with it for so long?"

The question came from Musa and it was the first thing the girls had said to each other since fleeing the Red Fountain stadium. All eyes turned to Stella for an explanation.

The blonde rubbed her eyes and dropped onto the lounge. "Uh, Eraklyon's are crazy about their privacy and security, which makes sense because they're probably the wealthiest realm in the dimension. And the King only had one heir, so they were obviously very protective of, so he stayed out of the public eye for years. When he came to Red Fountain, it was to be the first time anyone outside of Eraklyon saw him."

"So, if Brandon went as Sky and vice versa, no one would know the difference?" Flora finished.

"Yeah, I guess. I never thought to question it anyway," Stella said miserably, and Bloom grabbed her hand.

"None of us did, Stell."

"Yeah, they tricked us all."

"I knew them for so much longer though. And all that time they lied to me." A tear slid down Stella's cheek and Flora immediately drew her into a tight hug. "I thought he really liked me, but he just wanted his chance to score with a Princess."

"You don't know that," Flora soothed. "Maybe-"

"Maybe nothing. If he had really felt something for me then he would have told me the truth."

"I just don't get why," Musa growled, punching a pillow in irritation. "What reason could they possibly have?"

"The Eraklyon Royal family does receive one of the highest numbers of death threats," Tecna said quietly.

"Or Prince Sky just wanted one last hookup before he got married," Bloom bit out, and even she was surprised by the poison in her voice.

The others murmured in agreement. Tecna grabbed the remote and in an obvious attempt to distract them, turning on the tv. Except it was possibly the worst thing she could have done, because every channel it seemed was playing footage of the exhibition and narrating it's events.

" _Breaking news today at Red Fountain-"_

" _\- spectators were shocked to see Princess Diaspro of Juvel-"_

" _-locked in battle with - what's the girl's name, Ned? -"_

" _\- the drama didn't end there however-"_

" _-the boy masquerading as Prince Sky for the past two years-"_

" _-actually his squire! And he was hooking up with the Princess of Solaria, who had no idea. Check out her reaction!"_

" _-Princess Diaspro and Bloom battled desperately to win the young Prince's heart-"_

" _-the King and Queen of Eraklyon did not look pleased. No comment from the Royal family yet-"_

Over and over as they clicked between the channels they were forced to relive the day, from various angles, and a million different cuts, each with someone narrating and laughing along at the antics of the teenagers.

Some weren't particularly flattering to the girls.

" _-what did she expect, that Prince Sky would leave his engagement with the Juvel Princess, something that I'd bet my career on has been planned for years, just for her? She might be pretty but at the end of the day, he's going to choose the Princess and the alliance a million times over before the commoner."_

" _She's lucky the Juvel Royal family aren't looking for action to be taken against her. Attacking a Princess like that, honestly?"_

Although they were some who spoke in their defence.

" _Why are the girls getting all the blame in this? The way I see it, it was Prince Sky and his squire who lied so maybe it's them we should be judging."_

" _That squire had balls to date Princess Stella but Eraklyon has to be worried awaiting a response from Solaria. They won't be happy that their Princess was made a fool of. Wars have been started over less."_

A worried creased appeared between Stella's eyebrows, and the others glanced at her.

"What do you think your father will do?"

"I don't know," Stella murmured, eyes wide on the tv screen but unseeing before standing abruptly and marching into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"I'm going to bed as well," Bloom announced.

She was already sick of being judged and mocked, she was going to get enough of that tomorrow, she didn't need to hear it anymore tonight. Flora squeezed her hand comfortingly as she passed and Bloom tried to muster up a smile, though she was sure it fell flat.

She hadn't shed a tear since it'd happened, but Bloom could feel them coming fast as she yanked on her pyjamas. It wasn't even that Bran- Sky had a fiance, it wasn't - though the fact that Diaspro was a pretty, blonde Princess certainly didn't help the matter - she didn't know his circumstances enough to judge. It was that he'd lied to her for months about who he was, and now she was forced to question every conversation they'd had, every thing she thought she knew about him. That was what hurt the most, the knowledge that she didn't really know him at all and that's what had her burying her face in her pillow as the first of her tears came pouring out.

* * *

 **So, this might actually be my favourite chapter so far. So I really hope it's actually good and you guys like it.**

 **A couple things I changed that you might have noticed:**  
 **\- I changed the name of Diaspro's home realm because I never really like the name Isis. So instead I chose the name Juvel which (according to google translate) is Norwegian for Jewel.**  
 **\- I also changed the appearance of Erendor and Samara a bit, because idk about you guys but it doesn't make sense to me that a brunette and a red head have a blonde son. So yeah.**  
 **\- And I added a lot of scenes into this chapter that weren't in the original ep, just to expand the Brandon - Sky dynamic, and Sky's relationship with his parents. I hope you liked them.**

 **Anyway let me know what you thought but leaving a comment below :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Alfea the next day was about as bad as Bloom had expected. A hush ran through the dining hall the second she and the others stepped foot inside, before the entire hall broke back out into loud chatter again, and they just knew that every person present was talking about them. Bloom and Stella exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and strode forward, holding their heads high like it didn't bother them.

As if by unspoken agreement none of them had brought up the exhibition that morning, although Bloom knew that Stella had spent a long hour on the phone to her father again. She had emerged just in time for breakfast, an aggravated look on her face, and Bloom hadn't had the guts to ask how it had gone. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that the rest of the school had been clued into the same agreement, and they could hear conversations all over. Some of them were subtle, or at least they thought they were, the glances, and purposeful whispers giving them away anyway. Some less so.

"How does the Princess feel knowing she gave it up to a dirty commoner," Amaryl, one of the bitchiest fairies in the year, sneered from down the table.

"Shut it," Musa snapped back. "And mind your own damn business."

"Well, it kind of is our business if Bloom ruins Alfea's reputation by picking a fight with a Princess," Amaryl's friend, Bria put in.

"She made a mistake. I didn't realise _you_ were perfect." Bloom was surprised at the vehemence in Flora's voice as she defended her.

" _I_ think Bloom got the best deal in all this," Kayleigh said. "Turns out she was hooking up with a Prince all along."

"Oh, would you lot shut up about it already?" someone else called from down the table but even with the surprising support, Bloom pushed up from the table, abruptly and aggressively unhungry, and, ignoring her friend's calling for her, stomped from the dining hall.

* * *

Which was how she found herself curled up on the window sill in one of the back hallways, where it was extremely unlikely that anyone was going to happen across her. She had her sketchbook open on her knees and was idly adding some shading to an old sketch of Bran- Sky. She gritted her teeth as she continued to make the mental slip, and let her eyes fall shut.

His name was Sky. Prince Sky of Eraklyon. Sky, who had lied to her for months. Sky, who had deceived her. Sky, who had made her feel welcome in the Magical Dimension. Sky, who had been thoughtful enough to put together a CD of music he'd thought she'd like. Sky, who had never made her feel awkward for being from Earth. Sky, who lips had been so soft against hers, and had made it feel like her skin was igniting whenever he touched her.

Bloom's eyes flew open, and she dashed a dark, ugly X through the drawing, marring his handsome face. And when that didn't make her feel any better she ripped the drawing from the book completely, tearing it over and over until it was reduced to a pile of confetti sized pieces.

"I'd hate to be that guy right about now."

Bloom jumped and was thankful that the window sill was wide enough that she didn't fall off. She'd been so caught up in her emotions that she hadn't even noticed the approach of the girl until she was right beside her. Something about her was familiar; she had short hair cropped close to her scalp, a pretty face with rich brown skin, and high cheekbones. The most striking thing about her however was her eyes, which were a vibrant shade of green, like the sea on a sunny day.

"Uh, hi," Bloom muttered.

The girl offered her a wave before hitting her lightly on the feet. Bloom, obligingly drew them in closer so the girl could perch at the other end of the window sill, and Bloom realised where she knew her from.

"Wait, you're that girl who helped us out last term, with the nightmare gargoyle."

The girl smiled. "Yeah, Cyrenia. And you're Bloom. It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." Silence descended upon them and Bloom seized the first topic that jumped to mind and wasn't concerning her love life. "So, you know the Trix?"

Cyrenia screwed her face up in distaste. "Unfortunately yes. I've been dealing with their crap ever since I was a freshman. Hadn't run into them in a couple months, I really should have known they'd found someone new to torment."

The sound of approaching voices drew their attention, and two sophomore fairies walked past. When they caught sight of Bloom, one whispered something to the other, and they both giggled before disappearing around a corner. Bloom, who had briefly begun to feel better, felt her bad mood return and she glanced out the window with a scowl.

Cyrenia's mouth twisted wryly. "We look down on witches for being horrible, but sometimes we aren't that much nicer, are we?"

"You got that right," Bloom muttered, turning back to Cyrenia. She expected the girl to be looking at her mockingly, but all she saw in her eyes was sympathy. "You know, I'm surprised you're being so nice to me."

"Trust me, girl, I know as well as anyone that guys can be dogs; it's why I swore off them forever."

Bloom couldn't tell if Cyrenia was joking or not, but before she could ask, someone else was walking up the hallway. But this time Cyrenia grinned and jumped from windowsill so she could slip an arm around the girl's waist and press a kiss to her cheek. Bloom remembered her from the fight with the gargoyle as well, and thought her name was Asteria.

"Look, we all make mistakes, so just keep your chin up, yeah?" Cyrenia said, patting Bloom's knee. "And if you need someone to talk to, come find me."

"Thanks," Bloom murmured, even though she doubted she'd be around long enough to take her up on it, and waved to the pair as they wandered off. She waited until they were out of sight before pulling her phone from her pocket and shot off a single text to the dorm group chat.

 _ **Bloom**_ _to_ _**Stella's Fabulous Five:**_ _Meet me in the quad a.s.a.p._

Bloom smiled sadly at the name of the group chat. It was a constant war between Stella and the others over what the group chat would be called, and it wasn't uncommon for the name to change several times a day.

She didn't wait for a response as she headed for the quad. As she wove through the many hallways of Alfea, she couldn't help but think of the many happy memories she'd already made there. She passed the hallway where Flora, determined to show off her new punching skills had accidentally broken Stella's nose. Next was the stairwell where Musa had cursed everyone's headphones to only play country tunes for a week after Amaryl and her friends had made a mean joke about Bloom being from Earth. She reached the bottom floor and had to smile when she remembered the group hug they'd shared when Stella had passed her potions exam, despite the teacher still holding a grudge from last year.

She really was going to miss this place.

She arrived at the wishing well in the center of the quad only a few minutes before Tecna, Musa, and Flora. She frowned as she watched them approach, wondering how they'd managed to lose Stella between the dining hall and the quad.

"She wandered off somewhere before we got your text," Musa answered Bloom's unasked question with a shrug. "So what's up, B?"

"Let's wait for, Stella," Bloom hedged, perching on the edge of the wishing well and staring down into its depths.

The damper on her powers didn't feel nearly as bad as the full block she'd experienced earlier in the year, but it still left her feeling hollow and slightly off kilter, that didn't go well with the shock lingering from the day before. She found her reflection in the water's surface and it was hard not to look at it and judge, compare herself against the stunning memory of Princess Diaspro. Bloom knew she wasn't bad looking, even pretty on a good day, but she also knew her bright, red hair, big, blue eyes, and smattering of freckles were nothing compared to Diaspro's perfect honey curls, and dark eyes, framed by perfect black lashes. Why would the Prince have ever wanted her when he could have his Princess.

The voices of her friends dragged her from her thoughts.

"From my calculations, Stella, tends to be on average 12.5 minutes late. Which would mean she should be arriving, right about… now."

Right on cue Stella skidded to a stop beside them, clutching a stitch in her side, clearly having run there from wherever she'd been.

Flora cocked her head. "That's very impressive, Tecna."

"Sorry I was organising my outfits for the week, you know, keeping my mind off… anyway, what's up?"

"Bloom wants to talk to us about something really important."

Bloom skimmed a hand over the surface of the wishing well, sending ripples through her reflection as she purposefully avoided her friends eyes. "I wanted to talk to you guys, and apologise for what happened yesterday."

"It's okay," Flora jumped in immediately. "Everybody makes mistakes."

Bloom scoffed but finally turned to face them, meeting their eyes determinedly. "It was a little bit more than a mistake. I was totally paranoid and got drawn into a stupid fight. And now you girls are in serious trouble."

"We all decided to go to Red Fountain, we all should face the consequences," Tecna said briskly.

Bloom wasn't convinced. "I'll understand if you guys want me to move out of the dorm."

Flora made a noise of protest, but it was Stella who spoke. "No way! You have no idea how much we'd miss you. And besides I've caused plenty of trouble and you've always stood by me so don't even think about it!"

"Yeah," Flora said. "We'll all get through this together. That's what friends are for."

"She's right, Bloom," Musa put in. "All for one and one for all."

"Do you know how low the probability of finding a friend as amazing as you is like?" Tecna concluded, really driving it home.

Bloom was surprised and a little embarrassed to find tears pricking her eyes. "What did I ever do to deserve you guys? You girls could get expelled because of what I did."

Flora slipped an arm around Bloom's shoulders and started leading her back to their dorm. "We're not going to get expelled," she said confidently. "We belong here."

Bloom didn't say it aloud but the events of the last 24 hours had made her seriously questioning if she actually did.

* * *

Bloom had all but made up her mind by the time they got back up to the dorm, but seeing Flora turn on the tv straight to a panel of newscasters discussing yet again the events of the exhibition cemented it. It didn't matter that Musa immediately changed the channel to a random movie that they all settled down in front of despite it being half over, they'd all heard the words "Eraklyon", "Solaria", and "possible war".

"There's not going to be a war," Stella muttered, but even she didn't look convinced. As the reporters kept saying, wars had been started over less.

Bloom cleared her throat and took a step towards her room. "I think I might work on some homework."

She felt her friends throw her worried glances but none of them moved to stop her, so she slipped inside and shut the door with a click. She let herself stand their for a minute head resting against the wood and listening to the sound of quiet conversation from the other side, she really was going to miss them.

"We're going home, Kiko," Bloom said quietly, pushing away from the door and scooping the bunny up from his hutch. "I got all my friends in trouble, made a fool out of myself in front of everyone I know, and now the entire dimension is laughing at me. And it's not like Brandon's apologised either," she continued, petting Kiko's soft fur and pointedly ignoring the fact that she'd have to accept Brandon's calls in order for him to apologise.

Right on cue her phone lit up again, showing Brandon's face for the umpteenth time. She stabbed the reject button irritably and as if sensing her agitation, Kiko snuffled sympathetically at her hand. Bloom stroked his nose affectionately before transferring him to her shoulder so she could drag her suitcases out from under the bed and start packing.

"You know and then there's the fact that his name isn't even really Brandon, it's actually Sky, and he's a prince." Bloom tugged a pile of shirts from the wardrobe and shoved them into a bag, shaking her head. "A fucking prince. With a fiancee."

She scoffed at the sheer ridiculousness of it all and went on with her packing. All in all it took a depressingly short time to pack up all her stuff, especially when she cast a few packing spells to speed things along. With a final charm placed on Kiko's hutch to shrink it, all that was left was a couple suitcases and her backpack, a sad sight sitting atop her now bare mattress.

Bloom cast a fleeting glance at the door but quickly decided against saying anything to her friends. After their talk in the quad she knew they'd most likely try to stop her, and besides, she'd made enough trouble already, the best thing would be to just leave quietly. So she gathered her things and instead headed for the balcony. At the doorway she paused, and reached out to pat the large, thick vine that had used the glass as a climbing wall.

"Hey, big guy," Bloom said quietly, knowing from memory that it had the tendency to grab and squeeze when woken abruptly. "I need a lift down to the quad."

It was one of the few plants in their room that didn't talk but that didn't mean it didn't understand what she was saying. The vine moved, slowly at first, unwinding itself from the window before slipping loosely around her waist and lifting her up and over the edge off the balcony. There was a brief swooping sensation in Bloom's stomach as she hung suspended in the air, before she touched down on the ground and the vine withdrew. She gave it a grateful pat as it left.

The quad was unsurprisingly crowded given that it was a beautiful Spring Saturday so Bloom moved purposefully towards the front gate, ignoring the stares and whispers as she passed. Alfea was a breeding ground for gossip of course, so the news would get around, was most likely already making its way around the school that she was leaving, but she hoped to be safely back on Earth before her friends or any of the teachers found out.

Bloom was lucky that a bus heading into Magix was just about to leave from Alfea, and knowing that if she allowed herself even a single glance backwards would stop her from leaving, Bloom stepped up onto it and let the doors close behind her. She stared out the window the entire trip, which felt shorter than ever, drinking in every detail of the magical dimension she could before she left. Arriving in Magix was even more bittersweet, the sight of the hovering cars and space crafts and carefree magic making her insides ache even more than it already was from the damper on her magic. She was relieved when the bus finally pulled up outside the station and she headed quickly inside and up to the teller.

"One ticket to Earth, please."

"Return?"

Bloom paused for only a beat. "No."

* * *

"You'll never guess what I just saw."

Darcy looked up from her phone, no doubt texting her loser-boy-toy, Stormy thought with a sneer of derision, and Icy stopped filing her nails long enough to do the same.

"Unless it's the reason you don't have my coffee, I don't really care."

Stormy rolled her eyes. She'd drawn the short straw and been sent out to get coffee even though she'd argued that there was perfectly good coffee down in the common room. But Icy and Darcy had said that it always tasted burnt no matter how quickly they brewed it. Stormy actually didn't mind the taste but had to admit that the cafe by the station did it so much better. Plus they had those little pastries she liked.

Which was how she'd seen a familiar redhead dragging two suitcases off the bus and head into the station.

"How about the fact that that annoying pixie went home again?"

That got their attention and Darcy even put down her phone.

"If you're not 100% sure," Icy started dangerously.

"Well she's the laughingstock of the dimension right now, she's facing expulsion from school, I saw her with suitcases at the station, and she had this dopey, depressed look on her face. Enough evidence for you?"

Icy sat up slowly, a smirk unfurling on her face. "I guess we're going to planet Earth, girls."

"What should we pack?"

"Just your toothbrush, jammies, and Whisperian Crystals. With how vulnerable she is, it'll be easy pickings."

"And the Dragon Flame will finally be ours."

* * *

Stepping out of the portal and back onto Earth, Bloom was struck just like last time by the immediate difference she felt compared to the magical dimension, as if the very air she was breathing was different. This time though, any longing she felt for the magical dimension, was overshadowed by the relief she felt by being back in a place where not everyone knew her personal business. Of course Gardenia was still a small town so she got many odds looks and questions asking why she was home in the middle of the term and why her parents weren't here to pick her up on her way home. Finally though, blessedly she turned onto her street, and was soon walking up the driveway, and pulling out her keys to let herself inside.

"Hello?" she heard her mum call out as she stepped inside, and her mother came around the corner drying her hands on a dish towel. "Bloom?"

Bloom let her bags fall to the ground and before she could stop herself she was bursting into tears. Vanessa had her arms wrapped around her daughter a second later and was stroking her hair just like when she was little, murmuring over and over again that whatever it was would all be okay. She lead Bloom over to the lounge and just let her sit and cry, trusting that the story would come out when she was ready. And it did. It took her almost an hour of sobbing, before finally between hiccuping gasps Bloom told her about everything that had gone down the last few days.

"I've really messed up, mum," Bloom sniffled, and wiped under her eyes which she was sure were red and puffy.

"Bloom, you're at a new school, with new friends, trying to learn magic, in a whole other dimension. I think you need to give yourself a break, honey."

"And the boy trouble? I shouldn't have let myself get pulled into all that."

"I think that's Sky's fault, not yours. He lied to you, not the other way around."

"Who lied to you?"

Both Bloom and Vanessa glanced around to find Mike walking through the front door, looking tired after his shift, but pleasantly surprised to find his daughter home. That expression melted away to something hard when he noticed Bloom's tears.

"Who's ass do I need to kick?"

Bloom managed a strained smile and accepted Mike's kiss to her forehead. "It's fine, Dad. Just got into some trouble at school."

"That's not like you, Bloom."

"Plus there's some boy trouble," Vanessa added, with a knowing look at Mike.

"Just say the word and I'll kick his ass. Now tell me about this trouble at school."

So Bloom recounted the story again, her parents humming sympathetically in all the right moments.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Bloom," Mike said when she was finished. "It's all part of growing up."

"And if I get kicked out of Alfea?"

"Then we'll work it out. We'll find you a new school, I'm sure Alfea isn't the only magical school in the dimension."

"I still feel really terrible about it."

Vanessa patted her knee. "I know what you need: two days of your Mum's home cooking."

"Thanks, Mum. But I've been thinking, and maybe I shouldn't go back. I could stay and go back to regular high school. You guys keep saying how happy you are that I'm at Alfea. So would you really be disappointed in me if I dropped out?"

Vanessa and Mike exchanged lightning quick glances before forcing understanding smiles onto their faces.

"We'll support you whatever you choose."

"All we want is for you to be happy, that's what makes us happy."

They were all the right words but Bloom knew her parents well enough to know they were bold faced lies.

"Come on, guys, be honest with me. I know that's not how you really feel."

"Whatever you decide," Mike repeated. "We're with you."

Bloom sighed but before she could protest Vanessa settled her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"Why don't you come to work with me tomorrow. It's just opened back up and I'd really like you to see it."

Bloom exhaled slowly, before appreciating the subject change. "Yeah, that would be nice." It might just help take her mind off it.

Up in her room, Bloom glanced around. It was nice having her own space again but she couldn't help but feel odd with how quiet it was. Her mother had to run some errands, and her father had just come off a 24hr shift and had headed straight for bed, and the house was almost deathly quiet around her. Very different to her Alfea dorm which was usually filled with the voice of 4 other teenagers, chatting, arguing, and singing.

Her eyes fell on her beat-up guitar sitting in the corner and she quickly shut the door before retrieving it, and settling on her bed. She'd never bothered to pick it up on her infrequent trips back home, barely having time at Alfea to do some quick sketches let alone play.

Her voice was nothing special, certainly very ordinary when compared to Musa's, but Bloom didn't let that stop her from humming quickly while she tuned the old guitar. Mike had found it in Gardenia's single pawn shop several years, and they'd spent a weekend together getting it back into playing shape, as well as decorating the back with paint.

When the guitar sounded like itself again, Bloom strummed a few notes.

" _Now and then I think of all the times you screwed me over_

 _But had me believing it was always something that I'd done_

 _But I don't wanna live that way_

 _Reading into every word you say_

 _You said that you could let it go_

 _And I wouldn't catch you hung up on somebody that you used to know_

 _"But you didn't have to cut me off_

 _Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing_

 _And I don't even need your love_

 _But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough_

 _No, you didn't have to stoop so low_

 _Have your friends collect your records and then change your number_

 _I guess that I don't need that though_

 _Now you're just somebody that I used to know"_

Bloom let the final chord fade out naturally before giving a humourless chuckle. Of all the things Sky was, he wasn't someone that she'd ever known.

* * *

Sky sat alone in the Red Fountain dining hall. He hadn't been overtly popular to begin with, preferring a close circle of friends, rather than an adoring mass like some of the others royals tended to accumulate. And the news of his royalty breaking hadn't exactly helped. There hadn't been much backlash so far, instead he'd just reverted back to his pre-Red Fountain position of just another unapproachable royal. It was a weird adjustment to make.

He picked half heartedly at his sandwich with one hand, and played around with his phone with the other, trying (and failing) not to look at the long list of rejected calls to Bloom. He tossed the phone down before he could do something stupid, like trying to call her for the hundredth time, and glanced around the hall instead.

Riven was notably absent but that wasn't so unusual for him. Lately it was rarer to actually see him at Red Fountain; he missed class like he was getting paid for it, and could never be found in the dorm or any of the common areas. Sky supposed he was off getting into trouble with Darcy, but he had enough to deal with at the moment to be worried. Brandon was also missing, although Sky had caught a brief glimpse of him as he'd walked in. Just a flash of a brown haired figure wolfing down a sandwich as he made his way out again. In the 12 hours since everything had fallen apart Sky had barely seen Brandon for longer than 5 minutes, and if his former friend was trying to avoid him, he was doing a good job. The only one the blonde prince could see was Timmy, who was eating his lunch with his computer club friends. Timmy didn't look particularly happy about it - even as he purposefully avoided looking over at Sky - just sitting there quietly, while his friends debated some new computer or something.

"You know, we'd all wondered about the mysterious Prince of Eraklyon," a voice said suddenly, cutting into Sky's concentration, and he glanced over to see Kendrick, another Prince leading his usual pack of royal friends and non-royal lapdogs over to where Sky was sitting alone. "We really should have seen it. Brandon never particularly looked like the King, but you, well, you're the spitting image, aren't you?"

Sky's hand clenched into a fist. He really hated being told how much he looked like his father.

"Guess you're not as smart as you thought you were," Sky replied carelessly, and the arrogant smirk on Kendrick's face dimmed a little.

"I wouldn't be so smug, Sky. You're the one who managed to destroy everything all because you wanted to play around with some commoner."

Sky forced himself not to react. He knew he was skating on thin ice for his role in ruining the exhibition the day before, and it wouldn't matter how important his father was, if he was caught fighting another cadet outside of class so soon.

"Seriously, I don't get it. You destroyed an alliance between Eraklyon and Juvel, absolutely decimated your image, and don't forget revealing to the entire dimension that your parents decided to set up an arrange marriage for two minors. People these days don't take too kindly to that sort of thing.

"Maybe I should be thanking you though. Eraklyon has been the top dog for almost twenty years, it's about time you fell."

Sky stood so suddenly that his chair toppled backwards and stepped right into Kendrick's space, noticing with savage pleasure that he, and a few of his sniveling friends winced backwards.

"You think the wealth and power of Eraklyon can be toppled so easily?" Sky asked, arrogance coating his words. It wasn't a part he liked to play often, but he'd grown up in this world. He knew how to get people, even other royals, to back off. "And even if we did, you think Istryria is going to become the new top dog? Please, your little backwater planet is nothing. And you know it."

Sky might have been exaggerating a little. Istryria wasn't exactly nothing, but they certainly didn't have anywhere near the influence of the wealthier planets like Eraklyon, and Juvel, or even Magix, and Solaria. But the insults had the designed effect, for Kendrick's cheeks coloured a dark red, and stalked off with only a huff, his friends following dutifully.

Abruptly not hungry, Sky abandoned his own lunch and pushed his way out of the hall, ignoring the stares that followed him. Once he was outside, he found a quiet corner of the campus and dialed his father's private line.

He wasn't really surprised when it wasn't his Father's voice that answered the phone, but rather that of one of his advisors. He _was_ relieved however that it was Talarin, the only advisor Sky could tolerate. Talarin had been around for as long as Sky could remember, the aging advisor being one of the King's most trusted confidants, as well as a father figure to Sky. Sometimes more than his actual father.

"Your Majesty," Talarin greeted, and Sky repressed a sigh and a chuckle. It didn't seem to matter how many times he told Talarin to just call him Sky, the advisor refused to. "I'm afraid your father is in a meeting at the present time."

"When isn't he?" Sky asked, well aware of how petulant he sounded but unable to stop himself.

"I can let him know you called," Talarin said, ever patient.

"That would just make it worse when he didn't call me back. Look, forget all that. How bad is it?"

Talarin's voice lost some of it's polish. "I'm assuming you haven't seen the news?"

"Didn't have the guts. Are they tearing me apart?"

"You've managed to escape mostly unscathed. The rest though…" There was a long pause, then Talarin sighed. "The girl, um…."

Sky heard the shuffling of papers, and helpfully supplied, "Bloom," even while his heart clenched painfully.

"Yeah, Bloom, she's getting the brunt of it. Mostly for attacking a Princess. Then of course Diaspro is getting torn apart for fighting a commoner. They're tearing apart Their Majesties, King Erendor, and Queen Samara, as well as the King and Queen of Juvel for arranging a marriage between two 16 year olds, and then concealing your identity as well."

"Yikes. I bet Diaspro's parents are pissed." Sky shuddered. Diaspro's father wasn't too bad, but her mother scared the crap out of Sky.

"Well considering they've threatened war, 'pissed' would be an understatement."

Sky's heart dropped immediately to his stomach. "War?" he croaked.

Talarin didn't sound too concerned however. "I wouldn't worry, your Majesty, the King believes that an assurance of the marriage going ahead will be enough to calm them."

"The marriage going ahead," Sky repeated dumbly.

Oblivious to Sky's horror, Talarin continued, "I wouldn't worry about Solaria either. We're not taking their war threats seriously. Solaria is powerful, but King Radius is not the type to sacrifice lives over something as petty as this."

Sky barely heard him. Talarin had spoken as if the King had never even mentioned that there was a possibility that the marriage wasn't going ahead. And he knew that if his father hadn't even told Talarin, that he'd never even considered taking him seriously. Erendor had just told him what he had wanted to hear in order to calm him down. He thunked his head back against the wall, unable to believe how stupid he'd been.

"I need to talk to Diaspro," Sky said abruptly, cutting Talarin off mid-sentence. "Do you know where she is?"

He'd been trying to get in touch with Diaspro almost as much as Bloom, but just like with the redhead, all he'd been getting was her voicemail.

"She's at the Royal Residence in Magix," Talarin began, no small amount of trepidation in his voice.

"Our one?"

"Yes, Juvel doesn't own a residence in Magix," Talarin said impatiently, as if this was something Sky should have known. And honestly it was, but he'd never had a good memory for useless facts like that. He pushed away from the wall, already heading for the Red Fountain garage where his leva-bike would be waiting for him

"Right, then I need to go-"

"You'll do no such thing!"

Sky stopped in shock; that was the closest Talarin had ever come to yelling at him.

"You have no idea the size of the media circus that is currently camped outside the residence. They can't get in of course, but they'll know the second you go there, and a second after that the rest of the dimension will know, and _that_ is the last thing we need. Two 16 year olds, who possibly had an ill-thought out arranged engagement and are in the middle of a scandal, alone together without supervision?"

"We're not children," Sky spat.

"No, you're teenagers, and in some ways that is infinitely worse. Right now is about damage control, and that means not doing anything publicly that a royal advisor hasn't approved of."

"Talarin, you've always trusted me to do what's right."

"And I still do, Your Majesty. You've made a mess of things, no sense pretending you haven't, but fix it another way. A private way that isn't going to blow up in our faces. You say you're not a child, then prove it and don't make things harder for your parents."

There was a click, then silence, and Sky knew without having to look at his phone that Talarin had hung up on him. He was still shocked however. Talarin believed in professionalism at all times, no matter how close he was to the royal family, and Sky had never been spoken to that way, by him, or by anyone else who wasn't his father. It had worked though, and he trusted Talarin enough that if the advisor thought it was a bad idea to go see Diaspro, then Sky wasn't about to jump in and do it anyway. He needed a new plan.

* * *

Hanging out in her room lost it's appeal for Bloom about 15 minutes in. Playing the guitar just lead her to singing every sad breakup song she knew, whenever she tried to sketch, it just came out as portraits of her friends or Sky, or rough plans of Alfea, and if she even glanced at her bookshelf, her eyes were immediately drawn to her old fairy book. The house was still too quiet, and there was nothing for her to do, leaving her bored and alone with her thoughts. She'd expected to miss her friends, Alfea, the magical dimension, all of it, but not this quickly. Bloom didn't know if the ache she felt in her chest was pathetic, or a sign she was a good friend.

Either way, lying about at home certainly wasn't making her feel any better, so Bloom retrieved her bike from the garage where it had been sitting and collecting dust, and headed off into town. And Bloom had to admit it did feel nice to be back in town again and see everyone. It was a beautiful spring day, with the sun shining, but a slight breeze to keep her cool, so Bloom pedaled along leisurely, calling hello to Mr Genero in the fruit shop, and waving to the Chen's outside their restaurant.

Yes, it was shaping up to be a very nice day, once she was away from the quiet house as well as her phone, which had begun ringing around midday with calls from her friends and hadn't stopped since.

That is until she heard a familiar shrill voice.

"Well, well, well, look who is it."

Bloom rolled to a stop with a sigh, and glanced over to find Mitzi pulling her scooter off to the side of the road.

"Hi, Mitzi," Bloom flatly.

"How's reform school?"

"It's not reform school."

"Sure," Mitzi said, a cruel smirk spreading across her face. "Reform school or not, what are you doing home in the middle of the term? Did you get kicked out?"

"It's called an exeat weekend," Bloom snapped back, Mitzi's digs hitting a little too close to home. "Or is that word a little too long for you?"

Mitzi's head snapped back in genuine shock, not used to Bloom snapping back. She recovered smoothly however, "How is it possible that you're so much of a reject, that even the criminals got sick of you?"

Bloom winced, but quickly schooled her face into a neutral expression so Mitzi couldn't see the hurt she'd caused, and rode off leaving Mitzi squawking after her. Feeling the sudden need to be surrounded by people, Bloom followed a hunch and rode to the Gardenia roller skating rink.

The rink was a large outdoor area that was almost as familiar to Bloom as her own house was. It wasn't anything special, just a large oval rink, with padded walls, and roller derby lines painted on the surface, but as a former member of the Gardenia Wheels of Mass Destruction roller derby team it felt like a second home to Bloom.

She got off her bike and leaned it against the wall of the rink before taking a place beside it, just in time to watch the last practice bout of the session. It felt oddly relieving to see all her old friends again, looking exactly the same, doing all the same things, as the last time she'd seen them. Bloom found herself smiling as she watched the players go whizzing around the rink, jostling, and shoving each other, before finally their coach blew the whistle and they all went rolling over to the bench.

"Bloom, is that you?!"

"Bloom?"

"Oh my god, Bloom!"

In a second, Bloom went from being just another person on the sidelines to the centre of attention as half the team came skidding over in a flurry of activity. A few of the team members, new ones she didn't know, or ones she hadn't been particualrly close with, just waved from the bench, but her closest friends, the ones her age, who'd she'd hung with in school were racing towards her.

"Hey, guys," Bloom chuckled as they threw her arms around her. "Miss me that much?"

"Of course," Kayla, the team captain, exclaimed. "Plus we've lost our best jammer," she added, pushing Bloom's shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, I noticed you have a new girl," Bloom said, catching sight of said girl over Kayla's shoulder. "She looks…"

"She sucks," Kayla said bluntly, and the other girls nudged her.

"Come on, be nice," Bria said.

"Yeah, she isn't that bad," Charlie added.

"She isn't that good either," McKenzie mumbled.

"Please, please tell me you're coming back," Kayla said, fixing big, pleading eyes on Bloom.

"Uh, not quite yet," Bloom said. "Why don't you guys get changed and we'll grab a coffee."

Fifteen minutes later, Bloom and her friends were sliding in a booth in their favourite diner. The waitress, who'd been there as long as anyone in town could remember, immediately started making their usual order.

"So what does 'not quite yet' mean?" Kayla asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Does that mean what I think it means."

"We'll talk about that later. First, tell me about you guys. I'm out of the loop."

The others exchanged looks.

"Not much, this is Gardenia after all," Bria said.

"Except," McKenzie began, reaching out to grab Bria's hand. "We finally made it official."

Bloom grinned. 'Finally! You guys have been tormenting us for years."

"God, I know right," Charlie said. "TJ and Jake finally did as well."

Bloom tipped her head back and chuckled. After years of being tormented by Bria and McKenzie, and Jake and TJ's obvious feelings for each other, apparently all it took for them to get together was for Bloom to leave town. "What about Dan? Last I heard he'd broken up with Shannon. Or was it Brooke?"

Kayla let out an ugly snort of derisive laughter but just wordlessly shook her head when Bloom glanced at her questioningly.

"Brooke was after Mia," Charlie explained. "Then there was Shannon. And since then there have been… three others? I think."

"Four," Kayla said, contempt dripping from her voice.

"Someone's jealous," McKenzie singsonged under her breath.

"Am not," she snapped back, but was unable to hide the blush rising in her cheeks. "Dan wants to be a manwhore all over town, why should I care? You know what, I _don't_ care. He's just an arrogant asshole, who uses way too much product in his hair, and is too hot for his own good!"

Bloom blinked, along with the rest of the diner, most of whom had turned around to listen in to Kayla's outburst. The girl in question, turned an even brighter red and buried her face in her hands.

"Girl's got it bad," the waitress murmured, quietly setting their coffee's in front of them, along with a chocolate brownie for Charlie, and a slice of apple pie with extra whipped cream for Kayla.

"I do not," Kayla mumbled into her hands.

"She really does," McKenzie put in, and Bria nudged her girlfriend. "Anyway, Kayla's got it bad for Dan, Dan's still dating any ditzy girl who smiles at him, what's new with you?"

Bloom sighed, and took a long sip of her coffee to stall. "Not much. Just visiting the 'rents on an exeat weekend."

"One week into term? Nuh-uh, tell the truth."

"You guys are way too smart." When the compliment didn't deter their inquisitive stares, Bloom relented. "There's just some drama at school."

"Drama? That doesn't sound like you."

"Yeah," Bloom sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "I just sorta got pulled into it."

"Is it… bad?"

"Bad enough that I could be expelled," Bloom said dully.

"Jesus," Kayla gasped.

"And what's worse is I managed to pull my friends into it as well."

"It'll all work out," Charlie said soothingly.

"And if it doesn't," Bria continued. "You'll always have us."

"And derby," Kayla finished, making the others laugh.

"I've gotta admit, I have not missed the bruises," Bloom said, poking a nasty one on McKenzie's shoulder.

"No pain, no gain, Bloom. No pain, no gain."

* * *

At 7:59 a.m. the next morning, Flora, Tecna, Musa, and Stella stood outside Faragonda's office waiting for the hour to tick over, when teacher's office hours officially began and they could actually knock on her door and ask to see her. Tecna had her eyes glued to her watch, ready to tell Musa when it was time, and all four of them burst inside the second Faragonda called for them to enter.

They found her, a little surprised to have four teenagers in her office so early, watering the plants in the room, with a small conjured raincloud. "Girls?" she asked, not seeming to notice when the pot started to overflow and drip muddy water on the carpet.

"It's about Bloom," Stella said.

A dark look crossed Faragonda's face, and a small bolt of lightning erupted from the raincloud before she made it vanish. "Very well, take a seat. I think it's best I call for Professor Griselda."

Once they were settled on chairs before the desk, and Griselda had arrived, despite Faragonda having left, nor made any other move to summon her, Faragonda steepled her fingertips beneath her chin and said, "Tell me what has happened."

The four girls exchanged glances, each wondering who would be the one to speak. When they'd agreed the night before to come see Faragonda first thing in the morning, their plan hadn't gone much further.

Finally, it was Flora, in a trembling voice, who spoke. "Bloom's gone. We think she's gone back to Earth."

Faragonda's expression turned severe. "You awoke this morning to find her gone?"

Flora bit her lip. "Actually, we think she left yesterday morning."

Faragonda drew in a deep breath. "Why wasn't I notified immediately?"

"We didn't want her to get in trouble," Musa explained, having been one who'd argued most adamantly for waiting to tell Faragonda. "She was really upset about what happened at the exhibition, and we didn't want her to get into trouble if she just needed to get away for a few hours."

"Did you not stop to think," Griselda said shortly. "That the reason we prohibited you from leaving Alfea, was, in part, because it is highly dangerous for you to be off campus with limited protection."

There was a beat of silence, then Stella, who was looking uncharacteristically worried, said, "We realise that. Now."

"How you could be so irresponsible-" Griselda began angrily.

"Well, it's done now," Musa said, cutting across her. Griselda's mouth dropped open, no doubt ready to deliver a verbal tongue lashing, but Musa continued loudly. "What matters now is that we go get her back."

"She's on Earth," Tecna said. "She's got to be."

"Absolutely not," Faragonda and Griselda said together.

"We have a duty of care. And to let you go with your powers diminished is out of the question."

"But Bloom needs us!" Flora burst out, sounding close to tears.

"Miss Salgueiro," Griselda said warningly. "Allow me to remind you, young lady, that you are all on academic probation."

Flora, in the most blatant disregard of Alfea rules the other girls had ever seen from her, ignored Griselda completely and leaned towards Faragonda. "Headmistress, we're worried about her. What is those three witches find her and do something to hurt her?"

"We understand, Flora, but we cannot allow you to go. We will have someone find Bloom in due course and make sure she is okay."

"When?" Stella snapped. "When are you going to get around to sending someone? Because for all we know, the Trix are tormenting her right now."

Faragonda inhaled sharply, but didn't reprimand the blonde. "Meanwhile," she continued pointedly. "If Bloom is indeed on Earth as you believe, then she might just be in the safest place. The Trix would not dare violate dimension law and cause trouble there. Now return to your dorms immediately."

The dismissal was clear in her voice, and so, with their failure hunching their shoulders, the girls shuffled out and headed back to the dorm. The trip was short but silent, making it feel even longer, each girl too preoccupied with their worry for Bloom to attempt conversation.

Once they were back in their dorm, they flopped dejectedly onto the couches, while Musa tried to turn on the television, before remembering that along with their powers, their technology privileges had also been revoked. Stella, however, pulled the single working laptop towards her and quickly opened it, typing loudly.

"You're doing homework?" Flora asked. "Now?"

"Of course not," Stella said absently.

"Then what are you doing? We can't access anything remotely fun."

"Ah, Tecna, my dear friend, who said anything about this being fun."

Stella hit enter with a flourish, waited for whatever was on the screen to load, before sitting back with a smug smile. Musa, leaned over to get a look at the screen.

"Magix City Transportus Station?"

"Yeah, I figured why wait in line at the station when we could just buy them online."

There was a long beat of silence, before Flora said slowly, "Faragonda said no, Stella."

"Well, what does no mean, really?"

"Why wouldn't you just use your sceptre?" Musa wanted to know.

"Don't answer that," Tecna jumped in immediately. "It doesn't matter because we're not going."

"Speak for yourself," Stella said, and Musa looked inclined to agree with her, while Flora looked like she was on Tecna's side.

"We are on probation," Tecna said, starting to get angry. "It's not a good time to take risks."

"It's not a good time," Stella repeated incredulously. "Wow, I'll be sure to tell Bloom you had better things to be doing than saving her."

Tecna rolled her eyes, but didn't retort. "Think about your future, Musa," she said instead. "We still have a chance to get invited back next year. But if we break any more rules, we never will."

"So, school is more important to you, than saving your best friend?"

"Don't put that on me," Tecna yelled suddenly, making everyone in the room jump. "I worked my ass off to get good enough grades to be accepted at Alfea. Not everyone can coast by because their Dad's the King. We bought Bloom all the time we could and she still didn't come back. You can't expect us to give up everything for her."

Stella shook her head in disgust. "I do expect that, because Bloom would do the same for you, any of you, and I'd hope that you'd do the same for me. What was it we always said? One for all, and all for one? Or were they just words."

"They weren't just words, Stel. It's just whack that we can't do anything about it."

"Yeah, we can, and it's simple. I'm going to Earth, tonight. There'll be a small window after curfew but before the barrier drops when we should be able to get out. Anyone who wants to join me, can."

Without another word, Stella pushed up off the couch and stalked into her room, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

The next day was better for Bloom. She was working in the shop with her mother, which was distracting enough that she didn't have the time or energy to think about Alfea, or magic, or her friends, or even worse, Bran- Sky. Besides, being back in Vanessa's flower shop was nice, she got to see all the improvements they'd made when rebuilding, and got to head upstairs where they'd put a greenhouse on the roof, so her mum could grow some her own stuff instead of getting it all from suppliers. And besides all that, she was beginning to picture a life for herself, where she went to regular school, played derby in the afternoons, and worked in the shop on the weekends.

It was getting late in the afternoon when the lady came in. Bloom vaguely recognised her as one of the ladies who ran the pet store, and unsurprisingly Vanessa recognised her straight away and the pair started chatting away.

"Listen," the woman said. "It's Rachel's birthday today, you remember, my daughter, Rachel?"

"Oh, of course. Wish her a happy birthday for me."

"Will do. I was hoping to get her some pink carnations for her. They're her favourites."

"Pink carnations, hmmmm," Vanessa headed over to that section of the shop, but Bloom could already remember that they didn't have any left, having just sold their last bunch to a gentleman. "I'm sorry, Ms Jeeves, I don't think we have any left. We'll be getting some more in tomorrow, though."

"Oh dear," Ms Jeeves said.

Bloom spied a bunch of white carnations by her foot and quickly crouched down, where, hidden by a few big bunches of sunflowers she performed a colour changing spell; a quick dusting of sparkles and some mumbled words, and the carnations had changed from white to pink.

"Hey, mum," she called out, standing back up again, flowers in hand. "I just found these in the back."

"Oh," Vanessa said, blinking. "Well, there you go."

"Thank you," Ms Jeeves said, clutching Bloom's arm, before heading off to pay at the counter.

Vanessa waited until she'd seen Ms Jeeves out the front door, and for the store to quiet down a bit before heading over to where Bloom was tending over some peaky looking roses, using tiny sprinkles of magic to perk them up again.

"My friend Flora taught me this trick," Bloom confided, when she noticed her mum watching.

"And the trick with the colour changing carnations?"

Bloom hid her smile in the roses. "Did you see how happy she was?"

"I did."

"I could do things like that all the time, if I came back home."

"Just imagine what you could learn if you went back to Alfea."

This wasn't the first sly comment, she and Bloom's dad had uttered that day, and Bloom was getting used to the fact that they weren't just going to quietly accept her quitting Alfea. She didn't answer back however, not wanting to start a fight in the middle of the store.

Instead she said, "Why don't you head home, Mum? It's pretty quiet here, I could work the last hour or so, and you can get a start on dinner."

Vanessa eyed her for a moment. "Are you sure? You'd be here alone."

"I've got Kiko," Bloom said easily, gesturing to where the bunny was still curled up on the counter where she'd left him.

"Right, because that bunny is so ferocious."

"Hey, I'll have you know he puts up a pretty good fight against Flora's plants."

Vanessa chuckled. "Alright, you win. There's only another hour or so left anyway, then just count the register and-"

"I remember, Mum," Bloom smiled, and nudged her towards the door before heading back to help out a customer.

The rest of the afternoon passed fairly quickly, and soon enough the sun was starting to set, which was Bloom's cue to flip the sign to show "Closed", count the takings from the register and lock them away in the safe, before starting the short walk home. She wasn't worried about being out late, this was Gardenia after all, and Kiko was tucked into the crook of her arm; Vanessa might have been right saying he wasn't a protective presence, but it was comforting to have him there with her. Plus, he was a great listener.

"I really think I'm making the right choice, dropping out of Alfea. Gardenia might move at a bit slower pace, but at least there are no witches here. There's also tv here that I actually understand, no kitchen duty, I don't have to line up for food. And besides even if I have to leave Stella, and the others, at least I'll have Kayla, and the team…"

Bloom trailed off. All her "reasons" to stay in Gardenia weren't really reasons at all. Sure battling witches and monsters every other day had been terrifying at times, but there had also been exhilaration with the knowledge that every day she was getting a little bit better, a little bit stronger. And besides, it wasn't like Gardenia was without it's own witches; Mitzi Gaynor might not have powers, but she sure knew how to get on Bloom's nerves almost as much as the Trix.

And as much as Bloom had missed her roller derby team and friends in the months she'd been away, that was nothing compared to how much she'd missed Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna in the mere 24 hours she'd been back. Almost without realising it, Bloom started to plan; the roller derby season was played almost entirely in summer vacation, she could probably still be on the team, and only miss the first few games.

It would be hard going back, Bloom knew. She'd made a complete fool of herself, not to mention a massive mess, and then she'd made it even worse by running back home. It was going to take some stellar behaviour for the rest of the year, and some miraculous test results for the school to even consider taking her back next year. And that was ignoring all the stares, whispers, and comments she was going to have to endure. But it was as Kayla had said, no pain, no gain.

"We're going back to Alfea, Kiko," Bloom murmured as her house came into view, and ducked to pressed a kiss to his downy fur. Bloom bounded up her front steps and into the house, calling as she went, "Hey, guys! I'm back. I have something to talk to you about. I think I'm going to go back to Alfea-"

Bloom cut herself off abruptly as she stepped into the living room and her brain caught up to what her eyes were seeing.

"I really don't think you are, Bloom," Icy said, with a smirk.

Beside her, Bloom's parents hung upside down, swirls of blue magic encircling them. Icy was, of course, accompanied by Darcy, Stormy, and Knut.

"Yeah," Stormy put in, agreeing with Icy. "Do they let fairies without magic into Alfea?"

"I don't think they do."

Bloom ignored whatever they were rambling about and focussed on her parents. Other than their red faces, no doubt from the blood rushing to their heads, they looked otherwise unharmed. Bloom caught their eyes and tried to convey that it was all going to be alright. Somehow, she would make sure it was all alright.

"What do you want?" Bloom asked the witches, voice flat.

"You have something that belongs to us, and we're here to take it back."

Bloom's mind raced as she tried to work out what exactly the witches were talking about, all the while her parents struggled against the magical bonds holding them. As far as Bloom knew, the Trix were still after the Dragon Fire, and Bloom was no closer to finding it than the Trix were. And she had no idea what else she could possibly have that the Trix would want.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, we know." Icy flicked a lazy look at the ogre. "Knut."

Bloom tensed in anticipation of an attack, but wasn't particularly worried; she'd battled him before, and his slow lumbering walk, and half-hearted swings were not something that scared her, even with her powers diminished. But when Knut moved it wasn't slow and lumbering like Bloom was used to, it was with purpose and surprising speed. Between one blink and the next, Knut was suddenly standing in front of her. Then, before she could even think about transforming Knut had seized her by her wrists and hauled her into the air.

"Bloom!" her mum shrieked.

"Let her go," her dad roared.

But the Trix ignored her, watching the display with identical evil smirks.

"He's new and improved, you see," Stormy said. "He's even been working out."

Knut roared in approval, and Bloom flinched back, both at the rancid smell emanating from his mouth, as well as the sight of his brown, sharp teeth.

"Dude, mouthwash," Bloom muttered.

Knut roared again, sounding angrier this time, and all of a sudden she was airborne. She flew through the lounge room, and front hall, through the open door to land painfully on the front walk.

"Oh, fuck," she wheezed, winded from the fall. Her elbow was also stinging from where it must have collided with the concrete. She was still trying to get her breath back when Knut appeared at the doorway, quickly advancing on her. He smashed at her with a fist, but she quickly rolled out of the way and to her feet, thanking Lysippe and all her self defence lessons.

"Alright," Bloom said grimly, balling her fists. "You want to do this? Fine."

Bloom had to admit that it took a lot more of an effort this time to transform with her powers diminished. The most energy she'd had to put into it since her early days at Alfea. But the transformation came; her jeans and t-shirt disappearing with a flash, and instantly replaced by her blue skirt and top, with wings sprouting from her shoulder blades. Knut didn't seem too troubled at the sight of her fairy form, but Bloom felt instantly stronger and darted into the air.

"I don't care how many crunches you've been doing. You're dreaming if you think you can take me."

Bloom conjured a ball of flames in her air and tossed it at Knut, who yelped at the contact and tried to run the other way. But it was a ploy by Bloom, and Knut was met by a wall of flames on the other side, forcing him to the ground. Once he was there, Bloom summoned some ropes and bound him tightly.

An aggravated growl alerted Bloom to the Trix's presence. She hadn't even realised they'd come outside to watch, although she was relieved to know that they were away from her parents.

"As usual," Darcy drawled. "Never send an ogre to do a witches job."

Icy, however seemed to have completely lost her composure and was all but growling at Bloom. "That's it, you stupid little pixie. I'm going to rip the power right out of you, and this time there's nothing you can do to stop me."

"That's what this is about?" Bloom asked, hovering in mid air. "You can't find the Dragon Fire so you're coming after my powers instead?"

Something about this seemed to amuse Stormy for she let out a manic cackle of laughter, and not for the first time Bloom wondered if the witch was more than slightly unhinged. Before she could say anything else, a flash of lightning sliced through the otherwise calm air, right at Bloom. She ducked out of the way, and started to weave between the other bolts that came right on the first's heels.

Bloom soared higher into the air, and started across town, feeling very lucky that Gardenia was small enough that most people were already in their homes at this time of night. The Trix flew after her, Stormy throwing lightning bolt after lightning bolt after her. Like with transforming, Bloom was keenly aware of every individual flap of her wings, and every muscle that connected to the wings, straining and struggling. But she didn't let it slow her down and continued to zoom across Gardenia.

Out of nowhere the lightning attacks suddenly stopped, the only warning Bloom got before a large violet net, made of interwoven lines of purple magic appeared before her. She stopped in mid-air just in time to avoid being trapped, but was still close enough to feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up just from being so close to the dark magic.

Bloom whirled around, caught between the net, and the Trix, and for a moment it felt almost hopeless. A feeling that only got worse when Icy sent a burst of sharp ice crystals flying at her. Bloom pulled up a shield in time, but felt every time a crystal collided with the shield, like a punch.

"Like I always say," Icy quipped, watching the ice with satisfaction. "The only place creatures with wings belong is pinned to the wall."

Bloom managed to hold out until the last of the ice shards had disappeared but the attack had taken a significant toll on her energy, and already she could feel her powers waning. She was panting for breath, and she was more than just aware of the beat of her wings, they were starting to ache.

"Give us your power, Bloom. It's our destiny to have it."

"You destiny… what are you talking about?"

Icy didn't seem to hear her, or ignored her if she did. "Well, if she won't listen to us, maybe she'll be a good girl and listen to her parents."

Icy smiled dangerously, before abruptly disappearing with a flash of light. In her exhausted state, it took Bloom a moment of hovering in mid air, for it to click in her mind.

"Listen to my parents…? Oh my god."

As the realisation struck, she took off back in the direction of her home, wishing she had the ability to teleport like the Trix, all the while trying to ignore the feeling that she was going to be too late.

* * *

Stella waited as long as she could stand, and even that was torture, before grabbing her sceptre and stepping out of her room, and into the dark common room. She hadn't heard a peep out of the other girls since that first, and only, explosive conversation, and while she was disappointed, Stella was also determined to find Bloom, backup or no. So she made sure her sceptre was secure on her hand in it's ring form, and headed for the door.

"Come on, Stella. You didn't really think we'd bail, did you?"

She whirled around to find Musa stepping out of her room, and pulling a dark beanie down over her pigtails.

A second voice put in, "Friends first." Flora's sweet outfit of a white lace top and pink skirt stood out in stark contrast to the look of grim determination on her face.

The pair walked over from their respective sides of the dorm to join Stella. Flora was the first to put her hand in the middle of their huddle, with Musa, and Stella quickly joining. Surprising them all, a fourth, pale hand, joined the pile.

"All for one, and one for all, right?"

There was an apology in Tecna's eyes, which was reflected in Stella's as they met each other's gaze, each girl silently begging forgiveness for their earlier hurtful words.

"Right," Stella said, voice wavering slightly. "Now let's go get our girl."

* * *

Bloom could feel her breath rattling in her lungs, her back was in a constant state of pain, and her magic had never felt further away, and yet Bloom pushed herself to fly faster and faster until her house came back into view, looking for all intents and purposes like just another in a row of ordinary houses. She dashed through the front door and into the living room, skidding to a halt when she saw the massive black hole dominating the floor. And just above the middle of that black hole hung her parents.

"Say goodbye, Bloom. It's time for your parents to disappear. Unless of course you want to hand your power over."

Bloom gasped for breath, trying to make her mind work, trying to work out anyway to get the Trix to let her parents go without handing over her power. But apparently she hesitated for too long because just like that her mum and dad suddenly fell through the air, and disappeared into the black hole. A shriek tore it's way from her throat, and before she could even think about it she was soaring across the room, and diving into the black hole after them.

The best way to describe the inside of the black hole was pure chaotic magical energy. Dark wind whipped around and around, tearing at her hair and clothes, stinging her skin, and drawing tears to her eyes. Through it all, Bloom flew, towards her parents who were falling towards a great white void at the bottom. Bloom didn't know what would happen if they reached that void, but something told her that she didn't want to find out.

For one heart stopping moment she thought she wasn't going to reach them in time. That she was going to lose the only parents she'd ever known, the people who'd loved and raised her. Then her hand touched the sleeve of her dad's shirt, and she got a grip on his arm, quickly reversing directions and dragging them up. It was hard going; the black hole seemed determined to suck them into the void, and Bloom was already exhausted, and almost out of magic. But out of sheer will power and determination she managed to haul them back to the entrance of the black hole and back into their living room, where she placed them gently on the carpet. She touched back down on the carpet herself, exhausted and wings drooping in a way Faylinn would be disapointed by, but a feeling of triumph surging inside her, especially when the black hole disappeared.

Then a jet of icy magic hit her square in the chest and sent her sprawling on the ground. From there it was just a barrage of spells, bolts of lightning and shockwaves from Stormy that set her hair on end, psychic attacks from Darcy that clawed at her mind, and ice shards from Icy that tore at her skin and made her shake. Every time she tried to get up another would hit, over and over again, until it was all she could to lie there and wait for the next attack, listening to her parents screaming, and the Trix laughing.

Until mercifully, it all stopped.

She sensed the Trix moving closer, and let out a shuddering breath, wondering what they were going to do next.

"Poor thing," Icy crooned, not a touch of sincerity in her voice. "She really had no chance with her powers diluted. Yeah, we know all about that, it's all over the internet, along with every other detail of your pathetic life."

Bloom felt herself being lifted, by magic if she were to hazard a guess, before she was thrown against the wall. A shower of ice crystals followed, freezing her in place from her torso to her toes, even locking her wrists into place. At least from her new vantage point, Bloom could see that her parents were alright, though the Trix must have casted some sort of silencing spell on them because their mouths were moving but no sound was coming out.

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy stalked closer, and she shifted her attention to them, blinking sluggishly.

"I can't believe the Dragon Fire is finally going to be ours," Icy whispered, eyes alight with manic excitement.

Bloom's head swam as she tried to make sense of what she was saying.

"As it was always meant to be," Darcy added.

"What are you talking about?" Bloom croaked.

Icy shook her head slightly, and a sad expression crossed her face, as if she truly did pity Bloom for not being able to put it together.

"Our ancestors earned the right to the Dragon Fire a long time ago. They spent centuries biding their time, waiting for the perfect time to steal it from the Sparx Royal Family. They built their forces, waged war on them for years, and then when the time was right they put a spell on them, turning the most beautiful planet in the dimension into an icy wasteland and decimating every last person living there.

"One of the greatest magical powers was almost within their grasp, King Oritel and Queen Miriam were out of the way, and all that remained was a teenage Princess who'd never had to lift a finger her entire life, and her helpless baby sister…" Icy paused, and Bloom didn't know how she knew it, but she knew a blow was coming. "That would be you, Bloom."

A strangled gasp emerged from Bloom's throat. "You're saying that I'm the lost Princess of Sparx?"

Icy smirked. "Yep. Big sis Daph knew that things were pretty bleak and got pretty desperate. Did some stupid things, blah, blah, typical war stuff, and got herself done away with. Our ancestors weren't counting on her becoming a nymph though, didn't expect her last act before she was tied to that lake forever was to take you, the last holder of the Dragon Fire and hide you somewhere no one would ever look, Earth."

Bloom didn't realise she was crying until she felt the warm feeling of them sliding down her cheeks. "Daphne's my sister? And she died protecting me?"

"Died protecting the Dragon Fire," Icy sneered. "The same Dragon Fire we're about to rip right out of you. And then you know what we're going to do?"

"Icy," Darcy said warningly, but the blonde ignored her, focussing her cold eyes on Bloom.

"Then we're going to use that power to summon an endless army, the Army of Decay, and use it to decimate everything in our path. And you're not going to be able to do a thing to stop us. Ready, ladies?"

"Yes," Darcy and Stormy hissed, practically salivating at the thought.

Bloom wanted to thrash about and fight at the very mention of losing her power but the reality was, she was so exhausted she was struggling to stay conscious.

"It's time," Darcy said. "Look at her. We could ask right now and she'd probably just hand the power right over."

Bloom wanted to protest but her tongue felt like cotton in her mouth, and the room in front of her was spinning. She watched through rapidly closing eyelids, as Icy, Darcy, and Stormy formed a circle and joined hands, conjuring up delicate looking crystal containers. The Whisperian Crystals, they called them, rose above their head, connected by threads of magic, quivering gently in place.

Bloom didn't think it could get any worse, but then the Trix started chanting.

" _Whisperia cristallum suum, tenebris magicae de cognatione hac puella intus pervenio, et furantur eius potestatem ab intus!"_

Bloom had no idea what they were saying, or even what language it was in, but every hair on her body stood straight up at whatever spell they were weaving, and every instinct within her started screaming for her to get away, and she just knew that this was _very, very_ dark magic. A moment later she was proved right, because the worst pain imaginable tore through her, and she started screaming.

Later, Bloom would be asked to describe it. Over and over, people would ask, how exactly did it feel to lose your powers? For it was something of a phenomenon; it was common for powers to be blocked or diluted, spells had been constructed, and potions brewed that would stunt a person's powers, but to take them out of the person completely? All but unheard of. And Bloom wouldn't have an answer for them, not really, because how do you describe losing something that is so innately tied to your sense of self?

The closest she would ever come was this: it felt like someone had reached into her chest, not just reached, but pushed through all the skin, muscle, bone, and blood in the way. And then reached even deeper inside her, deeper and deeper until they reached a place that was nothing but pure _Bloom_ and clenched tight like an iron fist around it. And then they yanked, and yanked, and yanked until it was ripped completely free, leaving her as a bleeding husk of a fairy pinned to the wall.

Her screams died away as the sharpness of the pain started to fade, leaving her gasping for breath, and watching through her tears as a ball of brilliant golden light emerged from her chest. The light hung there for a moment, and even without touching it she could feel all the strength, and pure magic emanating from it. Then it zoomed unwillingly into the Whisperian Triangle and disappeared.

Bloom could distantly hear the Trix laughing, and celebrating but she couldn't focus on them, as she felt her consciousness start to slip away. The sharpness of the pain had dulled, leaving behind this great, and terrible hollowness inside her, like her innermost core had been scooped out. She'd thought having her powers blocked the first time had hurt, but comparing the two was like comparing a papercut with a bullet wound.

Finally, blessedly, she heard them leave, and there was a moment of peaceful silence. Then her parents voices filled the air and they were suddenly in front of her, touching her face, calling her name, begging her to open her eyes. Their voices somehow grew even more panicked, and Mike started calling for Vanessa to go get hot water, hair dryers, whatever they had to get the ice off her.

Bloom wanted to tell them not to bother, that she couldn't even feel the ice what with the terrible pain that was currently consuming her. But she was already fighting a losing battle with consciousness, and finally she slipped away completely.

* * *

Bloom was only feeling fractionally better when she awoke to the sound of quiet voices, which was how she knew she hadn't been unconscious for particularly long. Bloom kept her eyes shut, even as she drifted closer to alertness, wanting just a few more seconds before she had to face reality.

Then she heard a familiar voice speak, "I should have seen it. I should have."

"It's not your fault. None of us-"

Bloom's eyes flew open and she jerked upright, or as much as she could, before the pain and exhaustion consumed her and she slumped back.

"Stella?!" She blinked, taking in the room, and realised that it was not just the blonde in the room. Flora was kneeling beside her, cheeks wet and eyes swollen from tears. "Flora?"

"Hi, sweetie," Flora said gently, taking her hand and squeezing. "Try not to move around too much, alright?"

Bloom doubted she could have moved very far even if she wanted to, but she nodded regardless, and Flora managed a strained smile. Another person stepped into view, Musa, and Bloom was shocked by how pale her friend was, her face was practically ashen with worry. Tecna joined her a moment later.

"I guess you guys already know everything?"

The girls nodded.

"We arrived here a few minutes after it all happened," Stella explained, guit evident in her voice. Bloom wanted to assure her that it wasn't their fault but Stella continued before she got the chance. "Then we were pretty focussed on getting you out of the ice. But yeah, then your parents told us everything."

There was pity in each of their eyes, and maybe even a little bit of awe too. Bloom was a Princess now, and not just a Princess, but the lost Princess of Sparx, one of the wealthiest, most prosperous planets the dimension had ever seen.

"What do we do now?" Bloom asked through gritted teeth, wishing they'd stop looking at her like that. "They said they were going to summon an army and take over the universe. And my powers-" Bloom's voice broke and she closed her eyes against the threat of oncoming tears.

Stella bit her lip and dropped to her knees on Bloom's other side. "There is no way we're going to let that happen," she said gravely. "You, me, and the girls are going to hop the transportus back to school, find Faragonda, and sort this whole mess out. And that includes getting your powers back from those witches."

Bloom hated how weak her voice sounded when she whispered, "Promise?"

"I promise."

"Hey," Tecna said suddenly. "One for all, right?"

Stella smiled sadly. "And all for one."

Together she and Flora levered Bloom upright, the red head hissing and cursing quietly the entire way. It wasn't just the pain from losing her chest, even though that was still unbearable; her body was also a complete mess from the battle. Flora had started to heal what she could, but she was still just a first year student with diluted powers.

Once she was standing, Bloom finally looked at her parents, and she could tell from just one look at them that it was taking all they had not to beg her not to go.

"Guys," she whispered, and they surged towards her as she practically fell into their arms.

"Oh honey," Vanessa murmured, her voice shaking. "You were so brave."

"We know you can do this," Mike said fiercely on her other side.

Bloom pulled back slightly. "You don't want me to stay?"

Mike and Vanessa shared sad smiles. "Of course we do," Vanessa said. "But we know you have to go. Our baby's starting all grown up now."

Bloom hugged them tightly one last time, and stepped back. She smiled, even though it pulled at a cut on her lip, before turning to her friends, face taut with grim determination.

"Let's do this."

She wasn't thinking about her dead birth parents, Oritel and Miriam. Or her sister, Daphne, who had sacrificed herself to save Bloom. Or the wasteland of a kingdom she was now responsible for. No, she couldn't focus on that right now, not with those witches still a threat to the universe. She just had to focus on the first step, and that was getting her powers back.

* * *

Ooooof so despite parts of this being really dramatic (dare i say too dramatic?) i actually really like how this chapter turned out.

A few disclaimers:  
\- all my knowledge of roller derby comes from watching a few matches on youtube, and googling some shit, so blame any inaccuracies on that

\- the trix's spell when they take bloom's power is just the 4kids spell translated into latin because latin makes everything sound cooler

\- i forced you lot to read a conversation between bloom and her earth friends just for the sake of a bit of world building, and so i could stop calling them "bloom's friends". they weren't particularly relevant to the plot and probs never will be but it's nice to have these scenes, at least imo.

\- i know in the episode only stella goes to rescue bloom (and i actually quite like that) but the way i wrote their previous scene would make the rest look like the biggest assholes if they didn't go, so yeah it ended up a group trip to Earth

\- Sky's convo with Talarin was partly world building, partly actually plot relevant even if it doesn't seem like it rn.

\- same with Cyrenia and Asteria actually. I know alot of these dialogue heavy scenes might seem a bit pointless but i want to set up a few of the background characters a bit better so if they pop up again you guys aren't who tf is this rando?

I think that's it. I really hope you guys like it. Make sure you let me know with a comment. (also because i feel like i don't tell you guys enough, i appreciate everyone who reads, comments on, and likes/kudos' my fic. you guys are amazing xx)


	20. Chapter 20

Icy, Darcy, and Stormy exuded an aura of pure power as they strutted through the streets of Magic; so much so that the other citizens they came across could feel it. A mother heading home for the night, hurriedly hitched her toddler up into her arms before purposefully crossing the street, an elderly wizard kept his eyes firmly averted as he hobbled past despite the brilliant gold gem set into his staff, and a Magix city law official actually tailed them for 3 blocks just to make sure they weren't up to any mischief. And they weren't; they weren't in the city to cause trouble, at least not yet, that would come later.

That didn't stop them from waving cheekily at the officer however as they reached the edge of the city limits and the officer fell back, watching to make sure they left, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Hey," Stormy said as they strolled along.

They were heading in the general direction of Cloud Tower, and could have easily teleported there in a heartbeat, but a calmness had settled over the trio since they'd attained their precious Dragon's Flame. The question was no longer _if_ they could take over the universe, but _when_. And all three of them planned on savouring it.

"Maybe we should test out our new powers."

Darcy glanced at her, arching a lazy eyebrow. "Why?" she drawled.

"Well, I for one am curious, did the Dragon Fire simply amplify the powers we already had, or did it give us brand new ones?"

Icy and Darcy exchanged looks, both realising they were curious about the same thing.

All magic users had an element that their powers specialised in, usually based on their home planet, or who their ancestors were. That didn't mean of course that they didn't have the ability to use all sorts of spells and incantations; just because a fairy was from Solaria, and her powers were based on the sunlight, didn't meant she wasn't able to make a simple flower grow, like the citizens of Linphea. But a magic user would always be at their most powerful when using the powers of their origin.

Icy's eyes settled on a bush off to the side of the road, and it instantly erupted in flames, burning hot and quickly until it was only a pile of ash. The Trix stared at where the bush used to be for a moment.

"Neat," Darcy said finally, and the trio sauntered on, bushes and trees erupting in flames on either side of them as they went, speeding up slightly as they continued in the direction of their former school.

* * *

The Cloud Tower School of Witchcraft had no idea what was about to hit them. The school was just settling down in the dining hall for breakfast; conversations centered on regular school gossip, like how one of their classmates had been caught making out with an Alfea fairy, or recent concerts they'd been too, or even the drama that had gone down at the Red Fountain exhibition. They had no idea what was coming, had no way of knowing that the Magical Dimension had been rocked by the biggest upset since the fall of Sparx, and that the coven of witches responsible were right in that moment passing through the school's protective barriers like they were nothing but cobwebs.

One senior witch, who had shocking green skin, and bright blue eyes was telling her breakfast companion about a new spell she'd learnt. "What it does it shock the fairies wings so they can't fly. Oh, come on," she continued, at the appalled look on her friends face. "It doesn't do any long term damage, just gives you enough time to get away."

Her friend shook her head and opened her mouth to say something when she caught sight of something over her friend's shoulder. "Oh my darkness," she muttered, eyes glued to whatever it was, and her blue eyed friend went to turn around. She whipped a hand out to keep her in place. "Don't look now but guess who just showed up."

The pair weren't the only ones to notice the Trix's arrival, and table by table, the witches of Cloud Tower turned to stare at the Trix, the topic of their conversations changing promptly.

"What are they doing here?" one terrified freshman whispered to another.

"That takes some serious nads," a junior said, smirking.

The story of the Trix's dismissal from the school hadn't been kept a secret for long; in fact barely five minutes had passed since their expulsion before almost the entire school had known about it. And more than a few students were surprised that the three witches had had the confidence to come strutting back in after Headmistress Griffin had torn them a new one.

The babble of conversation slowly quieted, before a deathly silence settled in the hall, drawing the attention of Griffin and the other teachers were they sat on the topmost platform. They glanced around and immediately spotted the cause for the disruption. Griffin, with her two deputies, Zarathustra and Ediltrude, flanking her, approached the edge of their dais, and glared down at the Trix, like they were something smelly that they'd stepped in.

"You dare come back here?" Griffin bellowed.

Murmurs broke out in the hall again with most of the senior class sniggering, anticipating Griffin wiping the floor with the Trix.

"I made it perfectly clear that you are not to set foot on this campus!"

The Trix weren't offering any excuses - in fact they didn't look perturbed by Griffin at all - but even if they had, Griffin didn't give them a chance to get very far, before she sent a bright green spell at them.

Icy flicked her wrist and a shield of ice formed around them, absorbing the spell.

"Nice try, Teach," Icy sneered, while the students gaped in surprise.

"Things are a little different now," Darcy said.

Stormy smirked and glanced at her coven. "Should we show her our new powers?"

Icy put her hand to the underside of the ice shield and at once it fractured into a million shards, which shot towards Griffin and the rest of the teachers, forcing them to scatter. Some weren't quick enough and were tossed back by the shards, bleeding from tiny cuts all over their bodies.

"This behaviour is unacceptable," Zarathustra said to the Trix.

"Awww," Darcy crooned. "Are you going to give us detention?"

"I'm so scared," Stormy added, her voice purposefully high and mocking.

Her eyes suddenly glowed white hot, and bolts of electricity exploded from her. They shot in all directions sending students and teachers alike ducking for cover. Then, while they were still disoriented, she conjured a powerful twister, and the dining hall suddenly overwhelmed by a cacophony of screams as students, teachers, and furniture alike were sucked into it. The only one who managed to cling to her platform was Griffin who watched in horror as her two deputies were torn away. Zarathrustra was thrown out a nearby window with a scream, and Ediltrude was thrown against a wall where ice, courtesy of Icy, froze her in place. But Griffin had more pressing concerns as the twister died down as suddenly as it began and the students began to fall to the ground. The others teachers and a few of the seniors tried to slow them but most of them were too injured to do much, and the others were so frozen with fear they could do little but anticipate the tiled floor they were about to collide with and scream. Griffin pulled herself back onto the ledge and swept her arms in an all encompassing arc.

" _Portum Mollis,"_ she cried and about half the students disappeared with a flash and reappeared safely on the ground. But the spell wasn't powerful enough and some of the students and teachers were still falling. Gritting her teeth, Griffin tried to remember another, more powerful spell. " _Riparumque Toros Ruinam,"_ she bellowed. The students were too close to the ground to try another teleportation spell, so this time she transfigured the ground so it became soft and absorbent so when the students landed, expecting a hard surface, instead they found themselves cushioned, bouncing slightly before coming to a stop.

While the students blinked and sucked in gentle gasps, having fully expected to be seriously injured, the Trix snarled as they were foiled even with the help of the Dragon Fire. Watching them with an expression of distaste, Griffin took a casual step off the landing and disappeared in mid air, only to reappear silently behind the Trix a moment later.

"You girls are finished," she boomed and conjured an orb of raging witch energy, one of the most powerful attacks witches had in their arsenal. The orb was as big as a bowling ball and coloured a deep electric purple colour, and Griffin didn't even hesitate to throw it at the Trix while their backs were still turned.

But before it could connect, Darcy turned, lips curling into a smile and held up a hand to slow the speeding orb. She caught it easily, as if playing a game of dodgeball, and casually tossed the ball from hand to hand while the entire school watched on in shock. Then holding it tightly between two hands, Darcy shattered it, the purple pieces looking like glass as they fell to the ground and disappeared.

"I don't believe it," one witch murmured. "That should be impossible."

Griffin could only stare at the Trix with wide eyes, looking like she was seeing them for the first time. "What have you done?"

"You haven't seen anything yet," Stormy promised, and glanced at Icy, who needed no more encouragement.

In the same way Stormy's eyes had, Icy's also glowed white before she attacked. And when she did it was with the strength of a dozen witches. Ice burst from her palms and Griffin barely had time to throw her arms up to protect her face before the attack hit her and threw her against the opposite wall, cutting into her skin and freezing her in place. The students of Cloud Tower cried out in fear, having never thought that someone could beat their headmistress, but none of them moved, wise enough to know that if the Trix could defeat Griffin, taking them on would be no trouble.

"You're not strong enough to fight us, are you, Professor?" Stormy said silkily.

"How embarrassing," Darcy said, with a pointed glance at the students and teachers cowering at their feet.

"Look like you're taking an early retirement." Icy paused to smirk at the sight of her former headmistress pinned to the wall. "In case you haven't gotten it yet, we're in charge now."

Darcy turned away to address the students and other teachers. "Listen up, ladies! We're in charge now. But if any of you have a problem with that, you're welcome to speak up. And end up like old Professor Griffin here."

There was a long moment of silence as everyone waited with bated breath to see what would happen before a lone figure rose from the ground. Her name was Marilla, she was the student body president, one of the most liked students by both other students and teachers, and had hated Icy since they'd both started at Cloud Tower. The feeling was more than mutual.

For a moment it seemed like it would be an unfair fight, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy versus Marilla, but then another witch stood. And then a third, and a fourth, on and on until there was a small crowd of them. It was by no means an overwhelming force; all up there was only about half the senior class, a handful of juniors, and even less sophomores standing, the rest were either too scared, or too interested in what the Trix had to say to stand with them.

For a moment the Trix smirked on them, each member of the trio thinking about how fun this was going to be, while the other stared back with grim determination. Then as if by silent command the two sides moved, lighting up the hall as their coloured spells collided, sending the other students screaming and running for cover.

* * *

As it turned out the girls hadn't been able to go running right back to Alfea. It had been the middle of the night after all, both on Earth and back on Magix, and if they'd tried to go back they'd have ended up stuck outside the protective barriers, sitting ducks for the Trix. So they'd patched Bloom up as best they could and set the girls up in her room. Which was where they woke up, Bloom and Tecna sleeping back to back on the bed, Flora and Musa on the mattress they'd dragged in from the spare room, and Stella on a makeshift bed of couch cushions.

Except when Bloom woke up and rolled out of bed, she didn't feel even a fraction better. The deep and terrible ache in her chest was still there, but that was to be expected. What she hadn't expected was to still feel the cuts from the ice, pulling and stinging, or the bruises still aching, or her face still feeling tender. Bloom rolled her shoulders, groaned, and started to move around to get dressed.

"Why don't I feel any better?" she asked, when the others started to stir.

Stella sent her a sympathetic look, and set to straightening her rumpled clothing. "They took your magic remember? They must of literally sucked it out of your blood, and it's keeping you from healing."

Bloom fought the urge to swear and disappeared into the bathroom, hoping a hot shower would make her feel better. Once they were all dressed and ready, they headed downstairs, where declining Vanessa's offer of breakfast, they prepared to head back to Alfea. Stella pulled her ring off her finger, and it instantly transformed into her sceptre, then once Bloom had said goodbye to her parents, she twirled it once and with a jolting sensation they were transported back to the magical dimension.

They were walking up to the front gates when Bloom stopped, an unreadable expression on her face as she gazed up at the majestic sight of the school.

"B?" Musa prompted quietly.

"I let them take the Dragon Fire. They're all going to hate me even more."

"You didn't _let_ them do anything," Flora reminded her.

"And it's not like it's the end of the world," Stella said and immediately winced. "I mean-"

"Just shut up," Musa advised her, and hooked an arm through Bloom's to tug her on.

Tecna joined her on the other side. "We'll work this out, Bloom."

The quad was deserted, because while it was a Monday, breakfast had only just started, and the few, if any students who were awake would be in the dining hall, so they noticed right away when the large double doors to the entrance hall suddenly opened and a familiar, severe figure appeared.

"Oh jeez," Stella muttered under her breath, obviously having hoped that they'd make it back to their dorm at least before coming across Griselda.

"Well we had to talk to them eventually, right?" Flora said, trying to sound brave.

They'd all theorised last night on the likelihood that the school had noticed their absence, all of them agreeing that it was all but guaranteed. They'd all also hoped that once they learnt what had occurred, they'd at least postpone the punishment.

"You had better have a good explanation for this!" Griselda bellowed as they approached. Then as she got a better look at them, and more specifically Bloom and her injuries, a small "Oh," escaped. She hurried down the stairs to meet them looking gentler than the girls had ever seen her, and with soothing hand on Bloom's back and ushered them inside and up to the infirmary.

While they were waiting for Griselda to fetch Faragonda, Ofelia checked over Bloom. The cuts were nothing and they disappeared with a wave of the healer's hand as she lead Bloom over to a bed. The rest were a little harder. The Trix had really done a number on Bloom and apparently there weren't just bruises but also some minor internal injuries as well, including cracked ribs from being tossed around by their magic.

That still had nothing on when Ofelia took both of Bloom's hands in her own and she used her magic to check for any missed injuries. They could tell straight away when she noticed it; her eyes flew open, she sucked in a shocked gasp, and for a moment she could only stare at her young charge. Then her gaze softened with sympathy.

"Oh, honey," she murmured. "What happened to you?"

Bloom didn't know what it was in Ofelia's voice, but something about the gentleness in it made her tear up all over again, throat thickening until it was impossible to speak. Fortunately Faragonda and Griselda walked in the next moment and the attention of the room shifted, giving Bloom time to wipe her tears away.

"How is she?" Bloom heard Faragonda ask Ofelia quietly.

"In a great deal of pain," Ofelia said bluntly. "But there's nothing I can do for her. Except maybe make her a cup of tea."

Faragonda's unasked question hung in the air.

"You should talk to her, Headmistress."

Bloom shifted against the headboard of the bed as Faragonda made her way over and perched on the edge of the bed, Griselda standing beside her looking worried. The rest of the girls hovered nearby, clearly wanting to help and support her but not sure how to.

"Here," Ofelia said, appearing by Bloom's elbow with a steaming cup of tea. "Drink it while it's hot. It'll make you feel better."

Bloom took a careful sip, and had to admit that the warmth that flooded through her body did make her feel marginally better.

"Now, Bloom, why don't you tell what happened?"

"I know I broke the rules, Headmistress, but I needed to go back home for a bit. I was thinking about quitting Alfea."

"Bloom, why?"

"I felt like I was screwing everything up, and like I didn't belong. But then I went back home and found out who I really am, and that just made everything worse."

"Who you really are?" Faragonda repeated, leaning forward.

Bloom forced herself to meet Faragonda's eyes and said with all the conviction she could manage, "I am a member of the Sparx royal family. The last member. The lost Princess of Sparx."

Just as suddenly as she'd leaned forward, Faragonda leaned back again, but gestured for Bloom to continue.

"King Oritel and Queen Miriam were my parents, and Daphne, the nymph who lives in the lake, who's been coming to me in my dreams? She was my big sister, and she died trying to protect me and my power, the Dragon Fire."

Faragonda sighed suddenly but quietly. "Yes," she said, pinching the bridge of her nose as if to ward off a headache. "I'm afraid to say, I suspected as much."

Bloom blinked at her. "You suspected as much," she repeated slowly. "You suspected as much." This time her voice was an octave higher and was starting to sound unhinged. The other occupants in the room shifted uncomfortably. "You suspected as much!" Bloom repeated for a third time, and it came out as a pained yell. "You suspected it but you didn't ever think to tell me?!"

"Bloom," Stella said quietly, touching her elbow but Bloom yanked it free.

"No. No! All year we've been trying to find out who this lost Princess is, and who I am, and it turns out we're the same person! And she _knew_!"

The past 24 hours caught up to Bloom and a ragged sob escaped her. Stella moved to calm her again but Faragonda waved her away.

"It's alright, Stella. Bloom's right, and I quite deserve it. It's true I suspected you might be the daughter of Oritel and Miriam, but I chose not to tell you."

" _We_ chose not to tell you," Griselda said, speaking up for the first time. "Headmistress Faragonda confided to me her suspicions and I agreed that we should wait to tell you."

"Why?" Bloom croaked, glaring at Faragonda through teary eyes.

For the first time any of them had seen, Faragonda looked unsteady as she ran a shaking hand through her white hair, mussing her usually perfect hairstyle.

"Because I wasn't sure. The evidence, if you could even call it that was shaky at best, and I convinced myself that it was wishful thinking."

Bloom was beyond mad at Faragonda; she'd already been at the edge of her patience, and the headmistress had managed to shove her over. But she had to admit she was curious why Faragonda would have wanted her to be the lost Princess.

"Why would it be wishful thinking?"

Faragonda shot Bloom a pained smile. "Because I knew your parents, and was friends with them actually. I taught your sister Daphne, was supposed to teach you when you got to Alfea, was even supposed to come to your naming ceremony." Faragonda's smile, which had lightened with the memories, faded.

"But Sparx was attacked before the they had the ceremony, right?"

"Yes. I wanted to believe that my friend's daughter could still be alive. That a part of them could keep living. But then I convinced myself that I just wanted to see that, that I was imagining the similarities between you and your parents."

"Similarities?" Bloom heard herself ask.

Again Faragonda's smile was pained. "You're the spitting image of your mother, Bloom, I look at you and see Miriam. Although you do have your Father's eyes."

Bloom remained quiet, contemplative. In all her research of Sparx she'd never given much notice to the King and Queen. She'd had to have seen pictures of them of course, but they were a seperate part of the story, half a galaxy away engaged in a battle when the Ancestral Witches had breached the palace and killed their daughters. She'd been so focussed on the story of the Princesses that she'd never taken much notice of them, but now she wished she had. Bloom wished she could bring an image to her eye, of her biological parents that she apparently looked so much like.

"Besides," Faragonda continued with a heavy sigh, oblivious to Bloom's thoughts. "It might not make sense to you but I truly believe that the truth comes to us when we are ready to hear it."

Bloom bristled. "Maybe, but I wasn't ready to hear it, and especially not from those three witches."

"What three witches?" Faragonda asked sharply.

"Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, the witches from Cloud Tower that have been harassing us all year? Well they've been more than harassing us." Bloom paused and glanced at her friends. They'd kept the Trix's quest for the Dragon Fire from Faragonda for long enough. "They've been searching for the Dragon Fire, and we figured that the best way to stop them would be to find it first, not realising that I had it the entire time. Well, they followed me to Gardenia. They're the ones who told me everything. Then they attacked me, and they-" Bloom broke off, fighting a sob. "Then they took the Dragon Fire."

Faragonda inhaled sharply, and Griselda jerked as if she'd been electrocuted. Ofelia, hovering on the edge of the little group obviously wasn't as familiar with the implications, but was frowning with worry nevertheless.

"They took your power?"

Griselda looked at the healer sharply. "I didn't know that was possible?"

"It's rare," she admitted. "And incredibly painful."

Reminded of the pain, Bloom's chest gave an uncomfortable twinge, and she took another sip of tea.

Faragonda leaned towards Bloom, and gripped her hands. "Bloom," she said urgently. "Did the Trix tell you what they were going to do with the Dragon Fire?"

Bloom dug through her murky memories of the night before, trying to remember through all the pain to what the Trix had been saying. There had been a lot of rambling and boasting once they'd gotten her trapped in the ice, terrible promises of the destruction they were going to rain down on the universe.

"I don't remember all their plans," Bloom said slowly. "But I do know they wanted to start by summoning some army. Rot? Decompose? Decay! The Army of Decay."

The entire room seemed to turn grey at her words, and all eyes turned worriedly to Faragonda, who seemed to be struggling to remain composed.

"What?" Bloom half yelled, feeling hysterics creep back up on her. "What is it?"

"It is a very ancient force," Faragonda said quietly. "And if they are truly summoning it, it means we are in very grave danger."

* * *

The fight in Cloud Tower's dining hall had been intense but brief. The force opposing the Trix might have been small, but had contained some of the school's best students. Even so they were no match for the Dragon Flame in the hands of Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, and within only a few minutes, the Trix had had them incapacitated, and tied together at the back of the hall where they stood now, watching contemptuously as the Trix turned to address the rest of the school.

"Witches of Cloud Tower!" Icy barked with a cold smile, pale eyes sweeping along the lines of students, still huddled, terrified, on the floor. "Welcome to those of you who have decided to stand on the side of all witch-kind!"she declared spitefully, with a purposeful glare at Marilla and her group. They in return hissed expletives, and Griffin still pinned to the wall rolled her eyes. "Welcome to the side that's going to take this universe back from those do gooding fairies and heroes, and take what is rightfully ours! Starting, of course, with Magix!"

If they expected applause at this statement, they certainly didn't get it. The dining hall was deathly silent, and even the students who'd looked vaguely interested in what the Trix had to say, remained silent. But the Trix didn't look bothered by the fearful silence. In fact it seemed to bolster them even more.

"You might be wondering what we're on about," Darcy said conversationally, strolling back and forth in front of the students. "You might think that we and the fairies are equal, that we have entered a period of peace where fairies and witches can live harmoniously. You'd be an idiot, then, just like the rest of our kind who can't see the injustices that the sanctimonious fairies reign down upon us!"

Stormy picked up the mantel. "We are equal, you say? We are still bound to the laws that _fairies_ have decided are just and fair. There are still planets that witches are forbidden to enter without jumping through the fairies' hoops!" she continued, conveniently forgetting about the witch planets that were dangerous to fairies. "Fairies shame us for who we are, for daring to do what is best for us. They think we're evil? Well, I say we show them what true evil looks like!"

The school stirred somewhat, and Icy, sensing that they might be winning some favour, opened her mouth to drive home their point. But before she could a lone voice scoffed from the back of the hall. The Trix glared at Marilla, who was shaking her head, still chuckling quietly.

"Something you want to say, Marilla?" Stormy spat.

"Yeah, I think you're full of bullshit."

Icy narrowed her eyes dangerously, but held up a hand to stop Darcy and Stormy from silencing her.

"You say the fairies call us evil for simply being as we are. No, they think we're evil because of witches like you. You dishonour all witches, the ways of our kind, and pretend you're looking out for us, but really who you're looking out for is yourselves."

"Silence," Icy hissed, sensing that she was starting to lose the school's support, but Marilla would not be silenced.

"You want power, you want to rule, and you want us to accept everything you say without thinking. Not a chance. We're not stupid, Icy, we can see right through your pretty speeches. The fairies aren't perfect, but neither are we, and our universe might not be perfect, but it's a damn sight better than the destruction you want."

Marilla was panting by the end of her speech, smiling even as she was hit by first a silencing spell, then a shock wave from Stormy that sent her painfully to her knees. It didn't matter what they did to her now, she'd said what she had to say, and it was up to her classmates to see the Trix for what they truly were.

Icy forced herself to appear calm even as her blood boiled. There was a reason Marilla had been appointed student body president over her, and she'd allowed herself to forget how good the other witch was with words.

"Thank you, Marilla," Icy purred dangerously. "For being an example of what will happen if you step out of line. Any student who doesn't agree with us can head straight for the dungeons with the teachers."

Icy smirked, allowing this to sink in for a second. The Cloud Tower dungeons were a section of the school that few students had ever actually laid eyes on before, but were still infamous for their horrendous conditions. Wet, slimy, cells, infested with all manner of horrible bugs and vermin; the dungeons were set aside for the worst of rule infractions.

"Put us where you want, Icy," Griffin said coldly. "You'll never get away with this."

"Oh yes we will, Professor. Because we've got the Dragon Fire."

"No!" the word burst from Griffin's mouth, as horror and understanding shone on her face, and any student who didn't realise how much danger they were in, understood quickly enough just from that reaction.

"Now," Icy snarled, glancing at Darcy, and Stormy. "Take Griffin and the rest of those traitors to the dungeons. We've got some work to do if we're going to summon the Army of Decay."

"Are you crazy?!" Griffin screamed and she wasn't the only one to do so. But it didn't matter, Icy had already turned away, mind on the Cloud Tower library where a book sat, the spell for the summoning waiting for her to invoke it.

* * *

The threat of the Army of Decay lingered in the air of the Alfea Infirmary, but Faragonda tried to put on a brave face as she looked down at her young students. Bloom, who was still upset at her betrayal, was refusing to meet her eyes, but that was a problem for another day. Unfortunately, there were much more urgent matters that demanded her attention.

"You'll understand, of course, if I ask you to keep this development from the rest of the school? We don't want to cause unnecessary panic."

Judging from the faces of her students, they didn't think that that panic would be unwarranted but still they nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"What about my powers," Bloom asked, her voice breaking.

"We will get your powers back from the witches," Faragonda said firmly. "I'm not sure how yet, but we will figure it out."

Bloom nodded slowly, still avoiding Faragonda's gaze. The headmistress sighed but didn't push it and rose from the end of the bed, gesturing for Griselda to follow her from the infirmary. Once out in the hall Faragonda quicked her pace, and Griselda lengthened her strides to match her. The deputy was looking unusually pale.

"Headmistress, what are we going to do? The power of the Dragon Fire-"

"We are going to tell the Council about it and they will decide best to proceed."

"The Council?!" Griselda sounded outraged. "They could take weeks just to agree to meet. Months to make a decision. Besides we can't even call them together. It has to be-"

"A head of realm, yes," Faragonda said impatiently. "Which is why I'm going to send a message to the Magix Council of Representatives as soon as possible. As well as messages to Headmaster Saladin, and Headmistress Griffin."

They burst into the Headmistress' office and Faragonda hastened immediately for her desk where she wrote three near identical messages. Meanwhile, Griselda summoned the other teachers of the school with a spell of her own. Faragonda threw the messages into the air where they disappeared with a shower of sparkles.

It only took a few minutes for the teachers to assemble in the office; classes for the day hadn't started yet, and Griselda's spell must have conveyed the sense of emergency because they all arrived promptly and looking grim. They all shuffled nervously waiting for their Headmistress to tell them why they'd been summoned. Still Faragonda didn't speak until two return messages, one from Saladin, one from the Magix Council had arrived; a moment later a holograph of Professor Saladin appeared beside her desk, the wizard looking extraordinarily grave.

"Please tell me this isn't true," Saladin said without preamble.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Headmaster Saladin."

"What's happened, Headmistress?" Professor Palladium broke in, speaking for the entire teaching staff.

Faragonda rubbed her temples. "Something I have suspected for most of the year has turned out to be true, and it has lead to disastrous consequences. We have discovered Bloom Peters' true origins."

A few of the teachers exchanged glances. Most of them knew and liked Bloom, and all of them had heard about the mysterious freshman who had seemingly been born and raised on Earth.

"It turns out she is the lost Princess of Sparx, daughter of King Oritel and Queen Miriam. Two nights ago," she continued quickly before the room could make a ruckus. "Two nights ago Bloom went home to Earth for the weekend, and last night three witches, formerly of Cloud Tower who we now know have been searching for the Dragon Flame, followed her there and stole her powers."

"Stole her powers?!" Lysippe thundered.

"Wait," Callas said slowly. "If she's the Princess of Sparx, then her powers would be…"

"Yes," Faragonda said unhappily. "Your assumptions are correct. Those three witches, Icy, Darcy, and Stormy are now in possession of the Dragon Fire."

A shudder went through the room. The Dragon Flame was a legend, and they'd all grown up hearing stories of it's great power.

"They are untrained." Saladin tried to sound firm and unconcerned, but the rest of the room didn't seem to share his feelings. "They will hardly be a threat."

"They have the Dragon's Flame," Griselda reminded him.

"A young fairies' portion."

"Not necessarily,"Callas said, sounding worried. "The power of the Dragon doesn't work like other forces. The power was originally a gift from the Great Dragon, to the royal family of Sparx, the realm where it settled and made it's home. But because it was gifted only to the royal family, the power can therefore only be passed on, naturally anyway, to those of the bloodline."

"I don't understand."

"What I'm saying is that the Dragon Fire works differently to regular powers. It's regeneration is different because it comes not from the planet Sparx, but from that original gift from the Dragon. Not everything is known, but it was long believed that there was only a finite amount of the Dragon Fire at any one time, spread amongst all the members of the family. Of course, even spread out and diluted it still remains one of the greatest fairy powers in the universe."

"But if it's spread out amongst the royal family, what happens when one of them dies?" Saladin asked.

"I think you already know: each of the surviving members gains part of that power and gets a little bit stronger."

"So when the Ancestral Witches wiped out the Sparx royal family except for Bloom…?"

Callas nodded grimly. "All that power went flooding in the one remaining member."

"And I'm sure that was the Ancestral Witches plan," Faragonda broke in. "Extracting power from a fairy takes time, you have to get them at their weakest, their are dark spells that need to be said, it's a process. And prior to the destruction of Sparx, the royal family was large. Miriam had siblings, each of them had children, they had ancestors still alive, it would have taken a long time to get all of the Dragon Fire from them. Easier just to wipe them all out, except for one baby, who would be defenseless when they came to take the power. They didn't expect Crown Princess Daphne to return as a nymph and intervene."

History lesson aside, the look on all the teacher's faces showed that they were all thinking the same thing. Regardless, Saladin felt it necessary to point out, "Do you mean to tell me, that Icy, Darcy, and Stormy, are now in possession of the Dragon's entire flame?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I need to go, Headmistress. I'm putting my students on high alert. I suggest you do the same."

The holograph of Saladin flickered before disappearing outright and all at once the teachers burst into worried voices.

"Should we cancel classes?"

"What are we going to do?"

"Should we strengthen the protective enchantments?"

"What happens if they attack?"

Faragonda stood from behind her desk, silencing them all with a hand. "I understand your concerns, I do. But I don't want to frighten the girls if I don't have to. Instead I want Professors Lysippe, Faylinn, Palladium, and Whizgiz to go and strengthen the barrier around the school and make sure there are no holes. The rest of you, please go to your classes."

Some of the staff were clearly unhappy with her decision but they all filed out of her office, Lysipper, Faylinn, Palladium, and Whizgiz hurrying outside so they could check the barrier.

* * *

The girls wound up back at their dorm after Ofelia finally cleared Bloom from the infirmary. She was still in pain but there wasn't much the healer could do for her except make her calming and comforting teas. She was exempt from the rest of the afternoon's classes, and although the girls were technically supposed to be in class they had all come to an unspoken agreement to accompany Bloom back to their dorm. Not that it mattered much because as soon as they got there she went straight into her room and swung the door shut behind her.

The girls were worried about her, but they also knew it had been one thing after another for Bloom lately, and she might just need a second to process it. So instead they drifted aimlessly about the dorm, settling without talking in front of the tv and turning it on. It was almost a surprise when they weren't immediately inundated with reporters discussing the situation.

Stella watched the teen drama currently playing on the television without really seeing it. Bloom being the lost Princess had been something that none of them had seen coming, not to mention losing one of the most powerful forces known to the universe.

And even with everything that was going on, with the threat of destruction looming, Stella couldn't help but think past all that. She couldn't help it, as a Princess, eventual Queen, she had always been taught to always look at the big picture, to consider things in terms of the long run, and she knew that defeating the Trix and getting the Dragon Fire back would only be the first step. After that and especially once everyone found out who Bloom really was, she was in for a total reality shift. Everyone would want to know her thoughts on everything, policies, fashion labels, her plans for restoring Sparx, which Princes she thought were the hottest, a weird mix of the superficial, and the important. And Stella knew exactly what that was like, because she was already living it. But it was going to be a hundred times worse for Bloom, because at least Stella had been prepared her whole life for the spotlight. Bloom was going to have to do all of it alone.

Except no, not alone. Because she had Stella. She had Stella to help her, and even Musa, and Tecna and Flora would doubtlessly be there to support her. And Stella didn't care if she had to force her father, but she would make sure that Solaria supported Bloom if she tried to restore Sparx. Stella would be there for her friend through it all.

And that meant being there for her now.

Stella stood without another word, and headed for Bloom's room, hearing the other girls turn off the television and follow her. She didn't bother to knock, sure that Bloom would just ask them to leave her alone if she did. Instead she just barged in, ready for whatever reaction Bloom responded with.

As it was, Bloom barely looked up from where she was sprawled out on her bed, looking at a book. Stella quirked an eyebrow at the others, as one they approached the bed, nudging the redhead until she shifted to make room for them.

"Whatcha looking at, B?" Musa wanted to know, leaning over her shoulder.

Bloom didn't answer, but she didn't need to. Taking up an entire page of the book was a large colour picture of the royal family of Sparx, the Drago's, taken just days after Bloom had been born when she'd first been presented to the citizens of Sparx. They were a beautiful family and now that they knew that the baby nestled in Queen Miriam's arms and Bloom were on in the same it was easy to see her fitting in with the family.

Queen Miriam was the epitome of poise and beauty, even days after giving birth, the only signs of which being slight shadows under her pale green eyes. Her red hair, the exact same hue as Bloom's fell in thick waves over her shoulders. She was a small woman, nearly a head shorter than her husband, and even shorter than her teenage daughter, but there was a solidness about her, a stealiness in her eyes that promised her to be a formidable opponent.

Her husband, the King Consort Oritel, had been a hero from a well-to-do Sparxian family when he'd met the then Princess Miriam, the pair falling instantly in love. He was tall and broad shouldered, with a sweep of dark hair, and bright blue eyes. There was an intimidating air about him that was softened by the smile on his face, and the pure love in his eyes as he looked at his wife and baby daughter.

Princess Daphne stood on Miriam's other side, looking, in Bloom's opinion, both like and unlike her nymph form. Daphne as a nymph was a mysterious, ageless creature, hidden by a mask and swirling clothes. In the picture it was painfully obvious how young she was, sixteen or seventeen at the most, a child who had barely begun to life. She had red hair like her mother, but it was closer to a strawberry blonde than her mother's auburn, though they had the same green eyes. Daphne had one hand waving to the crowds absently, but the other was tickling her little sister, Bloom.

Bloom drank in the sight of herself at only a month old, a small bundle tucked carefully into Miriam's arm. There was little of the baby visible other than a sweet face, the rest dwarfed by a blanket. Settled carefully on the baby's head was a delicate tiara, under which poked a tuft of ginger fuzz. Bloom knew that if the baby's eyes had been open, they would be the same shade of bright blue as the King's.

Bloom swallowed roughly, surprised to find tears clinging to her eyelids. Despite knowing for years that she was adopted she'd never given much thought to her biological family, always having assumed that they'd either been unfit parents or hadn't wanted her. Or perhaps it had just been easier to think of them that way, rather than people who had loved her right up until their deaths.

"Bloom," Flora said gently, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

The events of the last year came crashing down and before she knew it she was sobbing, loud and ugly, with tears streaming down her face, and snot blocking her nose, while her entire body shook with the force of her emotions.

"I've ruined everything," she gasped.

The other girls tried to soothe her, talking in low, gentle voices while they patted her shoulder, squeezed her hands, and stroked her hair, but Bloom wouldn't be comforted. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the faces of her biological family.

"They died for the Dragon Fire, and I failed them."

In the end it was Tecna's voice that broke through to her. "No," she said firmly, even though she sounded on the verge of tears herself. "You didn't fail them because we are going to get your power back, no matter what it takes. And even if we don't you could never fail them. Because they didn't die for the Dragon Fire, they died because they love you."

Tecna held her gaze until, breath still hitching, Bloom managed to nod. She wasn't sure if she totally believed what Tecna was saying, but she needed to cling to that otherwise she had no idea how she was going to move on.

The group settled into silence, not talking, just lending each other their support in the silence, remaining like that for a few minutes before the sound of a phone ringing interrupted them. It was Bloom's but seeing the look on her friend's face it was Stella who picked it up off the bedside table. She stared down at the name on the screen for a long moment, her face unusually blank, before she pressed accept and held the phone up to her ear.

"What do you want?" she asked flatly, surprising Bloom who had assumed it had been her parents calling. She wasn't confused for very long; there weren't many people who would be calling that Stella was currently annoyed with.

A moment passed where Stella listened impassively. "Bloom is unavailable right now," she said finally. "Gotta go now, Brandon, or Sky, or whoever you are," she continued, and pulled the phone away to end the call.

Stella stared at the wall for a long moment, her blank expression carefully concealing the anger her friends knew was bubbling underneath.

"Stell," Bloom said gently, moving to sit up. "Stella, I'm so sorry."

The blonde blinked, once, twice, before looking at her friend, brow creasing. " _You're_ sorry? Why?"

"Because in all this drama I forgot that you were hurting as well."

Stella pressed her lips together, and Bloom wasn't sure if it was in anger or because she was upset.

"Brandon," she whispered, as if it pained her just to say his name. "He hasn't even bothered to call me." Stella's face crumpled and before the girls could react tears were spilling down her cheeks, and the girls were surging forward to wrap her in a tight hug.

* * *

Over at Red Fountain, Sky was staring at his phone, wondering how on earth he was going to make things better when the two people he needed to apologise to most refused to take his calls. Of course he didn't blame them, couldn't blame them, not after what he'd done, but still Sky hated feeling helpless.

He stared at his phone, scrolling idly through his recent calls, while his other hand scratched behind Lady's ears where she was curled up beside him.

"Everything's a mess," he sighed. "I don't know what to do."

Lady's head lifted from where it was rested on her paws to stare at him, and Sky could have sworn there was understanding and pity in her eyes. Sky knew she couldn't actually respond to him but it was nice to feel like he was being listened to; he'd been feeling too lonely lately since his fight with Brandon.

As if conjured by his thoughts alone, the brunette hero stepped through the door, greeting Sky with a distant jerk of his head, an action which had become the norm for them over the past few days. Sky nodded his own head back but didn't offer anything further, he was tired of trying to reach out to people only to be rejected every single time.

Before either of them were forced to endure an awkward silence a loud siren pierced the air. Both the guys' heads shot up, it wasn't the emergency bell, but it also wasn't their regular bell either.

" _Attention all students: please report quickly and calmly to the arena. Attention all students: please…"_

Sky sprung up from his bed, and followed Brandon out to the common room where Timmy was already waiting, looking as puzzled as they both felt. A moment later Riven stepped out of his room, and together they all headed for the corridor. But when they stepped outside, Riven simply pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up and started to head in the opposite direction.

"Oi!" Brandon called after him. "Where are you going? The arena's this way."

But Riven simply scoffed and continued walking, parting through the crowd of the students streaming the other way. Within a moment he'd vanished completely. The other three guys hesitated, unsure what to do.

"Should we go after him?" Sky asked. He freely admitted he wasn't Riven's biggest fan at the moment, but there was a strange tension in the air like something bad was going on, and it didn't feel right just letting him walk off.

Sky, Brandon, and Timmy all glanced at each other, all painfully aware that this was the longest they'd been in each other's presence since everything had come out.

"No," Brandon said finally. "He wants to get in trouble let him. I'm not putting my ass on the line for Riven."

Timmy nodded in agreement the pair joining the other students, and after only a moment's hesitation, Sky followed them.

* * *

Even though he'd been dating a witch for several months now Riven had never been comfortable around Cloud Tower, or really around any of the witch hangouts. He didn't know what it was, if it was those prejudices he'd been raised with, or if it went deeper, something in his DNA reacting to the place. Whatever it was, Riven could feel it as he rode his leva bike up to Cloud Tower, the back of his neck prickling, a shudder racing down his spine. Riven ignored it, like he always did and tried not to flinch as he passed through the barrier.

Darcy had texted him earlier, telling him she had a surprise for him so rather than going to the stupid school assembly, or whatever it was at Red Fountain, Riven had snuck his bike out of the garage and high-tailed it over to the school. He didn't know why Darcy and her coven were risking coming back to their former school, especially when Griffin had made it more than clear that they weren't welcome back there, but Riven trusted Darcy to know what she was doing.

"Hey, Babe," Riven said, when he arrived to find her hanging out the front. He swung a leg off his bike and leaned in to kiss his girlfriend.

"Follow me," Darcy said, with her usual seductive smile, and lead him right through the big double doors.

If Riven had expected Darcy to sneak him in to some secret hideaway they'd found he was sorely mistaken. Instead she strolled inside like she owned the place, head held high, and superior smirk in place. There were no teachers around, and whenever they came across a student, they would press against the walls, heads lowered in fear. Darcy didn't mess with any of them however and just lead Riven further and further up one of the towers until they reached what Riven would guess was Headmistress Griffin's office.

"I didn't realise Griffin let you have the run of the place," Riven said, as he walked through the door. His tone was conversational, but for some reason he felt wary as he said it.

"Oh, we aren't too worried about what she thinks these days," Stormy said. She was lounging on the large desk in the middle of the room, idly scratching at her nails with a file, which she looked up from with a predatory smile that made Riven slightly nervous.

"Really?" Riven said vaguely, before, for reasons he couldn't quite name, shifted so he keep all three witches in sight. "So what's this exciting news you told me about?"

The Trix shared grins.

"We _finally_ got the Dragon Fire."

"The Dragon Fire. You've got the Dragon Fire. _That's_ what you've been looking for all these months?"

Riven had known that the Trix were after something, something big if their excitement was anything to go by. But he'd neither been interested in nor privy to any of the details. As long as he had Darcy, he hadn't been particularly interested in anything else. But now, as his heart started to sink in his chest, he began to wish he'd asked a few more questions.

"And just what are you going to do with the Dragon Fire?" he asked carefully.

Darcy stepped closer to him, a familiar coy smile on her lips. "What do you think we're going to do with one of the most powerful forces in the dimension? We're going to take over."

Riven let out a startled half laugh on impulse. It wasn't exactly unusual to hear of magical creatures, particularly witches threatening to take over the universe, but they rarely actually stood much of a chance. As far as Riven knew the last time anyone had come even close was 15 years ago when there had been a full war. His temporary mirth faded however when he noticed the harsh glint in Stormy and Icy's eyes as they pushed away from the desk and stalked closer. When he looked down at his girlfriend, even her smile was disappearing.

"You- you can't be serious."

"Awww," Icy crooned, still advancing. "Don't tell me the little hero is finally remembering what he is."

Riven didn't take his eyes off Darcy however, who was staring up at him in confusion. She didn't know, couldn't know that his father was in the Magix army, that if this went much further his father would be part of the force that went against them. Riven wasn't particularly close to his father, in fact he'd all but been abandoned by him as a baby, but he certainly didn't want to lose him. "Babe," he said hoarsely. "Think about the lives that would be lost."

"What about our lives, Riven. All we've given up, all our ancestors gave up to get this far. We deserve this, and you do to. So do this with us."

But Riven was already shaking his head as he backed up a step, bumping right into Stormy, who, silent as a cat, had managed to trap him in.

"You're all crazy," he muttered, hand going for the pocket of his hoodie, where the hilt of a phanto-blade sat waiting. Still he didn't pull it out yet, and instead stared beseechingly at his girlfriend. "Darcy," he pleaded. "You don't have to do this."

"Yes," Icy murmured into his ear, where she and Stormy pressed closer and closer. "She does."

There was a moment where even Darcy didn't seem to know what she was going to do, as her eyes flicked between Riven's pleading look, and Icy and Stormy's, expectant ones. Then they grew hard and narrow.

"Sorry, Riven. But I don't think this relationship is going to work out after all."

Riven wrenched the hilt of his sword free but didn't have time to summon the blade before the Trix's eyes glowed and white hot pain shot through his body, tearing a cry from his throat.

* * *

Riven wasn't sure how much later it was that he awoke, but he knew two things instantly: that it had been at least a few hours since the Trix had turned on him, and that wherever he was know, it certainly wasn't Griffin's office. The stone beneath him was cold and damp, the air smelt rank, and when he forced his eyes open there was an unfamiliar face of a witch peering over him.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," she said grimly, before surprisingly gentle hands hooked under his shoulders and helped him upright.

He was right when he'd thought that he wasn't in Griffin's office anymore, in fact wherever he was didn't look like any of the Cloud Tower castle that he had seen. This coupled with the damp ground and rank smell, Riven would have hazarded a guess he was in the infamous Cloud Tower dungeons. This was confirmed when he glanced around to find himself in a barred cell with a dozen or so witches, as well as Headmistress Griffin, who was trying to look authoritative despite the fact she was sitting on an overturned bucket.

"So, Darcy got sick of using you as a boy toy?" one of the witches asked him coldly, earning herself a few snickers from their cellmates, although one of her friends nudged her with a frown.

Griffin glanced at him, with careful, wise eyes. "It's not surprising," she said, voice cool but not cruel. "Witch and hero relationships rarely work out."

Riven flushed despite himself; he knew the reality of that all too well. His mother after all had been a witch, and his childhood in foster care was evidence enough that she hadn't stuck around long. But he chose not to comment on that, instead asking, "So, what happens now?"

Griffin sighed, eyes lifting skywards, as if she could see through the levels of stone separating them from the three witches who now held the fate of the dimension in their sharp talons. "Nothing good."

* * *

Upstairs, the mood in Griffin's office was a mixture of excitement and solemnity. Darcy was staring out the window, eyes unseeing as she bit at her nails - a nervous habit she had shaken years prior - and thought about what had just occurred in that very office. Behind her Icy and Stormy were flitting two and fro as they prepared the last of the books they would need for the summoning.

"Stop sulking," Icy snapped eventually. "You can't tell me you were actually in love with him."

Darcy bristled, for the first time in her life truly growing angry at her coven sister. Of course she wasn't naive enough to think she'd been in love with Riven, but there had been something between them, something she wasn't quite sure she'd been ready to part with.

"Darcy."

The brunette turned around, despite her current anger.

"Darcy," Icy said again, blue eyes holding her own. "The books are ready, the preparations have been made, _everything_ we have ever hoped for is about to come to fruition. Now, are you going to join us, or are you going to let a _guy_ hold you back?"

Darcy squared her shoulders and tossed her hair over her shoulders. Icy was right, Darcy had worked too hard to give it all up for Riven. Her loyalty was right where it needed to be, with her coven. Icy and Stormy, already holding hands, held their free ones out for her, and with just a few steps Darcy joined them, completing the circle.

Let the summoning begin.

They'd read the books, the Trix knew that they needed to pour every ounce of magic they possessed - which was a considerable amount - into the incantation, and to believe the words with everything they had if they wanted this to work.

"Ready, sisters?" Icy asked the other two.

"I was born for this," Stormy said, her grin wide and the slightest bit insane looking.

They looked to Darcy, who nodded, trying her best to look sure in her decision. "Let's embrace our destiny, sisters."

They closed their eyes as the book had encouraged, and began to chant the incantation. " _When the screams of a thousand years are finally heard."_ Power immediately began to ebb and flow between them, already frantic and hurried as if it sought to break free of them. " _And the terror of the night erases day. When the moons up above are consumed by shadow, then the flames down below will cause doom to rain."_

Darcy cracked an eye open as she felt a tremor move through the castle, her body feeling like it was vibrating in place. Icy and Stormy opened their eyes as well, obviously feeling the effects of the spell as well, and also unsure if the should continue.

"Keep going," Icy gritted out, and they obediently recited the final line of the spell.

" _And the creatures of the night will rise once again!"_

The effects of the spell were already starting to take place; the room was awash with the bright light of their power, and the entire castle was quaking beneath them, causing screams from the students below. But still there was no army rising up.

"Again," Icy barked, never letting go of their hands. "Surrender your powers to the spell."

Darcy shut her eyes again, feeling her magic twist and claw inside of her, and imaging letting it out to create the army.

" _When the screams of a thousand years are finally heard,"_ they began.

The castle shuddered and swayed.

" _And the terror of the night erases day,"_ they continued, voices rising.

Wind howled in through the open window and whipped around the office, tearing at their hair, clothes, and skin.

" _When the moons up above are consumed by shadow…"_

There was a great clap of thunder outside, and Darcy felt herself grin. It was happening it was really happening.

" _... then the flames down below will cause doom to rain."_

Magic bubbled under her skin feeling as if she was going to be torn apart at any moment.

" _ **And the creatures of the night will rise once again!"**_

The magic leaving her felt like an explosion, and even behind her closed lids Darcy could see the violent red light that filled the air. Then she was ripped away from Stormy and Icy's hand and flung through the air, where she collided with a wall, bashing her head painfully on the stone before she slumped to the ground, everything fading away.

When she came to, only a few minutes later, it was to a scene of destruction. The office had been plunged into darkness where the lights had been shattered, the desk was in two pieces, and even then was the only piece of furniture still recognisable, the rest was reduced to piles of debris.

She got up slowly, moving gingerly as her body felt like one big bruise. Through the gloom she could make out Stormy climbing over the desk, giggling under her breath despite the blood running down her face where it looked like she'd collided with the desk. Icy was in the other corner of the room, covered in scratches and slightly on edge like the rest of them, but also laughing. And Darcy couldn't help herself, and began to laugh as well.

"We did it," she mumbled, unable to fight down the insane bursts of laughter leaping from her as she stumbled across the room to meet the other two. She found Icy first, catching her cold hand with one of her own, and Stormy joined them, grabbing Darcy's shoulder, and accidentally shocking her which she was prone to do when she wasn't fully in control.

"We finally did it."

Stumbling drunkenly and leaning on each other heavily they tripped over to the window where down below they could see their army was already assembling. Rot and decay seemed to leak from the very ground itself, moving sentiently across the ground to each other to create soldiers of all shapes and sizes. They were grotesque; humongous rock-like soldiers with boulders for fists and no discernable faces, flying manta-rays with dangerous looking stingers on their tails and hooked claws protruding from their bodies, human like figures, with tentacles instead of mouths and sharp armour like skin. The different types were numerous, the only thing in common between being their dark purple-grey colour, and their ghastliness. Darcy loved the sight of them.

"How big an army are we going to get?" Stormy asked, her voice breathless in it's awe.

"Hard to say," Icy said quietly. She sounded, like the others, intensely tired but satisfied at the same time. Even with the Dragon Fire, the ancient summoning spells had taken a lot of their energy. "But every molecule of decay from the last millennium will rise up to serve in our army."

They watched in amazement as soldier after soldier was assembled and joined together to form lines, looking very much like a regimented army awaiting their orders. The Trix barely noticed when Knut crept into the decimated office, no doubt to find the source of the dark magic. What he saw terrified him so greatly that he snuck away again only a moment later, intent of fleeing the castle before the Trix could turn that great power on him.

Icy glanced first to Darcy, then to Stormy. "It's time, sisters." For they had great plans, and they didn't want to waste any time putting them into action.

* * *

 **This is shit.**

 **Nah I'm just kidding. This wasn't my favourite chapter to write because while stuff did happen, there wasn't a lot of action in it. I know there's supposed to be an battle sequence at the end here but it just ended up too long so I decided to put it at the beginning of the next chapter instead.**

 **As always, I'm sure there are things I want to tell you but always forget the minute I start writing my notes. I hope you liked all the scenes I added, especially the ones with Darcy and Riven, because I hope they gave more insight into their relationship, and more depth to their character.**

 **I just wanted to say how much I appreciate everyone who reads, favourites, and leaves reviews for this fic. I love each and every one of you. Until next time xx**


	21. Chapter 21

Rough hands shook Bloom awake the next morning, and she knew instantly that it was very, very early. The light from the sunrise hadn't yet begun to lighten the room, and when she glanced over at Flora's bed, the lump under the covers told her that it was even too early for her room mate to be up for her run. She was shaken once again, and blinking sleepily, she tried to order her incoherent thoughts, Stella's face, looking pale and worried, appearing above her.

"Wha-?" she mumbled, through a mouthful of hair.

"There's been an attack," Stella said.

The words were like a cold bucket of water on Bloom, waking her in record time, as her eyes sprang open fully and she bolted upright, only just avoiding a head clash with Stella because the other girl was already hurrying over to wake Flora.

"What do you mean?" Bloom rolled out of bed, and tugged on the nearest clothes, jeans that were probably better suited for the laundry basket, and a random t-shirt. Stella must had gotten dressed in the same haphazard manner because even in the dim lighting she could see the blonde was sporting a mismatched pants and top combination. "When? Who?" she continued to babble as her mind jumped from thought to thought, worrying first about her parents on Earth, and then the guys at Red Fountain.

"Last night, sometime," Stella answered as she dragged Flora out of bed. "I don't know who, though. Faragonda wants everyone in the Dining Hall now."

Bloom left Stella to it with Flora and stumbled out into the barely lit common room, where she found Musa desperately flipping through the television channels, managing to get only static on each one, and Tecna standing in the small alcove between Stella, and Bloom and Flora's room, staring out the window there.

"These clouds shouldn't be possible," Tecna was saying, more to herself than Musa it seemed, for the other girl didn't look like she was listening. Bloom joined Tecna at the window, and she turned to her, eyes that were usually so calm showing signs of worry.

"What do you mean?"

"All the forecasts, the time, even the air pressure, everything says these clouds shouldn't be here."

"So why are they?"

"Dark magic," Tecna said bluntly. "Very, very dark magic could have messed with something."

"Dark magic used in the attack?" Bloom asked, and Tecna nodded. "Does that mean the attack was around here?"

Tecna could only shrug helplessly as they both scanned the horizon for any sign of destruction, but other than the dark, threatening clouds, everything seemed clear.

"Have we been able to get through to the guys at Red Fountain?"

"Phones are dead," Musa said from the lounge. "Tv as well."

"Dark magic could have fried the communication towers," Tecna said thoughtfully. Bloom noticed that despite the phones being dead, Tecna still had hers in hand, turning it over and over. It must be terrifying for her, Bloom thought suddenly. To have the one medium that she relied so heavily on abandon her at the time she needed it most. Bloom reached a hand to comfort her, but the entrance of Stella and Flora, the latter looking only half awake with her hair resembling a bird's nest, interrupted her.

"Come on," Stella said grimly, the epitome of poise even in the time of emergency. "Let's go see what's going on."

The Dining Hall was a mess of half awake fairies, stumbling about trying to find a seat; few were fully dressed, some sporting odd ensembles that were clearly thrown together in a matter of seconds, while others still had just turned up in their pyjamas. Regardless of what they were wearing, they all had the same worried looks etched on their faces.

Despite the chaos, the hall was all but silent, just the sounds of scuffling and movement that eventually died as everyone found a place to sit, and Faragonda, looking unusually grave, stood to address them.

"Girls, I have called you here this because very early this morning I received word via Brevis message, that the region of Duskall suffered a brutal attack last night."

The hall broke out into worried and confused whispers. The attack was horrifying news of course, but also occurred no where near Alfea.

"Where's that?" Flora hissed at the same time Bloom asked, "Brevis message?"

"Of course," Stella groaned under her breath. "I wondered how they'd heard about the attack with everything down. Brevis messaging is a way to send paper messages, but it can only be done over a fairly short distance."

"Duskall," Musa was murmuring. "Isn't that where Timmy's family…" she broke off and glanced at Tecna, who was pressing her lips tightly together, to stave off tears Bloom realised with a jolt. Tecna fingers twitched towards her phone as if forgetting that it wasn't working. She was so close to Timmy, it would be torture to be unable to get in touch with him.

"I know you must be wondering why I am telling you this, it is because the culprits are suspected to be three former students of Cloud Tower, seniors called Icy, Darcy, and Stormy."

The Trix were infamous among the three schools especially after all the trouble they'd caused that year, so the whispers ratcheted up another notch, so much that Faragonda had to hold up a hand for silence.

"We believe they were able to do this because they have gained possession of an ancient power known as the Dragon Fire, which we believe they obtained by attacking the lost heir to the Sparx royal throne."

Faragonda paused and her eyes flickered to Bloom. It was only a second before she looked away and started talking again but the damage was done. One student was enough to notice and look around and then there was a group of them looking at her, and soon enough Bloom could see it clicking in their minds that the mysterious freshman from Earth where magic wasn't even supposed to exist, and the lost Princess of Sparx were one and the same. Soon enough half the school was looking at her and whispering furiously, making her hunch down as far as possible in her seat.

"The Trix attacked the Princess, took her powers, and are now using them to rein destruction on the realm, and we fear that Alfea may be among one of the first they attack."

This time it was not just whispers that broke out, but loud cries of fear, especially from those who had heard of the Dragon Flame's power and knew the destruction it could wage.

"I do not tell you this to worry you girls," Faragonda continued determinedly. "I tell you this to prepare you. Because if we are attacked next we need to be ready, but I truly believe in the students of Alfea, and I know you can rise to the occasion and defend yourselves and the school."

"So what do we do now?" a senior called out.

"You go to class," their headmistress said simply. "We have no idea when or if an attack will come," Faragonda said over the cries of protest. "The armies of Magix are heading to Duskall now to investigate and it is possible that they will find and detain the witches before they even get here. We may ask a few of the seniors to help patrol the boundaries of the school, but for the rest of you classes will continue as schedule." There was a note of finality in Faragonda's tone and after a moment she stepped down and back towards where the rest of the teachers were standing looking similarly grim.

* * *

"Again!"

Bloom obediently slammed her fist against the pad on Lysippe's hand. She followed the jab quickly with a cross with the other fist. Lysippe's expression didn't change, whether to indicate she was satisfied or dissatisfied, she just shifted on her feet slightly and said, "Again."

Bloom could feel the rest of the class staring shamelessly at her. Rumours had already been circulating after Faragonda's talk that morning, but all doubts had gone out the window when Bloom had turned up to her first class of the day, metamorphosis with Whizgiz, and had been unable to perform a single spell. It was official across the school, Bloom Peters was actually the lost Princess of Sparx, and the reason they were facing an attack.

Lysippe's voice cut through her wavering focus. "Again, Bloom!"

Bloom tried to concentrate but all of a sudden it was too much, the weight of the eyes, the whispers that were steadily growing in volume, but she tried to throw the punch anyway, knowing straight away that is was going to be a bad one.

"Bloom, focus!" Lysippe barked. "Focus on your technique!" As if reading her mind, and only just noticing how distracted the rest of the class was she whipped around, pinning them with a fiery glare. "The same goes for the rest of you. We are facing a possible attack and today is the day you choose to start slacking? Get moving!"

The whispers immediately ceased and the air was filled with the sounds of fists hitting the boxing pads. Lysippe watched for a few moments to ensure they were truly back to work, before focussing back on Bloom, nodding sagely, "Again."

This time after Bloom threw her jab, cross combination, Lysippe struck back with the boxing pad, catching Bloom in the ribs and throwing her right to the ground. She laid there for a solid minute, struggling to comprehend what had just happened, before glancing up at her professor, betrayal shining clear in her eyes. Lysippe stared back, not a shred of remorse on her face.

"You think the witches are always going to fight fair?" she asked plainly. "No. So get up and try again."

She pushed herself to her feet and squared up, trying to remember everything Lysippe had ever taught them. Bloom started with the combination again, right jab, left cross, and threw her elbow up to block the strike she knew was coming, but totally missing Lysippe's foot striking out. It connected with enough force that Bloom crumpled to the ground. But this time when she struck the mat it was with a surge of anger.

She scrambled to her feet without needing to be told, and in one solid movement stood and swung her fist to start the combination again. For the first time all semester Bloom actually felt natural as her and Lysippe sparred; jab, cross, block the second strike, don't fall for the feint with her foot, they parried back and forth neither gaining the upper hand until finally Bloom broke through her professor's defenses, and managed to connect her foot with Lysippe's knee. She actually stumbled back a few steps, surprise splashed across her face, before it smoothed out with something else, approval. The entire class had stopped to watch them, but this time Lysippe either didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Good," she said first to herself, then again louder. She stepped forward and took Bloom's shoulder firmly. The redhead was panting, anger coursing through her, anger at herself, anger at the Trix, at Lysippe, at Faragonda, even at Oritel, Miriam, and Daphne. "Harness that anger, use it, but don't let it consume you." She waited for Bloom to nod. "Now, let's go again."

They continued on that way for the rest of the class, when red faced and panting, Bloom finally dragged herself over to get some water. A moment later Lysippe followed her.

"Good work today, Bloom. I'm proud of you."

The skin of her knuckles was red, and her muscles were already starting to ache, but there was a deep sense of satisfaction within her.

"Lysippe, can I stay here, instead of going to next period?"

Her friends glanced at her in surprise, but Bloom kept her focus on Lysippe, who was staring at her with clear pity.

"In these times of peril, all of your studies are important, Bloom-"

"We have flying next," Bloom said bluntly.

Lysippe blinked. "Very well," she said decisively, before turning away to usher the rest of her peers out before the next class arrived.

Bloom's friends hesitated though, obviously worried about how hard she was pushing herself.

"Bloom," Stella began. "Are you sure-"

"I'll be fine, guys. I'll catch you later."

Except they didn't see her for the rest of the day. Class after class passed and Bloom remained stubbornly absent. Lysippe must have called ahead to the teachers because they each passed her empty chair without comment. Stella tried to send her a brevis message at lunch when she still didn't show up, but either Bloom didn't know how to reply to it, or she was too busy training with Lysippe because no answer ever arrived.

Stella sat considering a blank piece of paper in Charms class rather than reading up on the theory of the dishwashing spell. For reasons unknown their teacher had decided that the upcoming peril was an excellent time to do a lesson on household spells. But Stella's mind was so far away, in that moment she wouldn't have been able to tell anyone what was going on in class.

Instead she carefully touched the point of her pen to the page and began to write.

 _Dear S_

Stella winced before, gritting her teeth, she determinedly turned the S into a wonky B.

 _Dear Brandon,_

She paused, realising she had no idea what she wanted to write. She was a mess of emotions, still so unbelievably angry, hurt, shocked at how she had been duped, and half a dozen other things. She'd never really let her guard like that around a guy before, and this time had only ended in tears, her tears. For once she'd genuinely believed that a guy wasn't with her because he wanted his five minutes of fame, or because he was the son of a royal who wanted to get in with one of the most powerful planets in the dimension. No instead the guy was supposed to be the heir to one of the few realms that actually outmatched Solaria, so there was no reason he would be with her unless he actually liked her, right?

Wrong. She couldn't have been more wrong.

And on top of all he'd done, he hadn't even bothered to call her and try to explain. She'd seen herself that Sky, the real Sky, had been blowing up Bloom's phone ever since it had happened, just on the off chance she might actually pick up. But Stella had gotten nothing, not even a text. And if she hadn't already guessed that alone would have told her that he'd just used her for a thrill, for his five minutes, and now that he'd gotten it, he was done.

But despite how mad she still was at him, Stella couldn't help also being terrified for him. She had no way of knowing the situation at Red Fountain, if they'd been attacked yet, if he was hurt… or worse. Sighing a deep shuddering breath, and glancing up to make sure the professor hadn't noticed her disinterest, she began to write.

 _Dear Brandon,_

 _I don't know why I'm writing this, when you clearly have no regard for my own feelings, but for whatever reason I'm still worried about what happens to you. So if you ever cared for me at all, you might consider writing back and letting me know you're okay._

 _Regards,_

 _Stella Haleigha_

 _Crown Princess of Solaria_

 _P.s. please don't take this message as indication of my forgiveness, nor as a desire for regular correspondence._

Stella read over the short letter a few times. No matter how dry and formal she made her language it still felt to her like it was oozing desperation but there was nothing for that, so trying not to think about what a mistake this was, she folded the paper into a lopsided airplane, muttered the incantation, and then when the Professor glanced away, she lobbed it out the open window. Her friends must have noticed what she was doing because she could feel their curious eyes on her, but she couldn't stand to see the pity she was sure was also there, so instead she finally turned her attention to her textbook and got to work.

* * *

Bloom was pretty sure she'd never felt sorer in her life than she did walking back into her dorm room after spending an entire day sparring with Lysippe. Even the most intense roller derby training sessions had nothing on it. She was acutely aware of every bruise on her body, including one particular one of her cheekbone where Lysippe had accidentally nailed her with an elbow. It had been the only time that her professor had actually looked apologetic for hurting her. Lysippe had given her a potion that she promised would take care of the mark and the residual aches in her body, but it was slow acting.

Stella was sitting on the couch, staring absently at the black screen of the television. Her face was looking pale and unhappy, as it had been ever since the truth about the guys had come out, and Bloom repressed a sigh. With everything going on she kept forgetting that she wasn't the only one hurting.

"Hey, Stell," she said softly, joining her on the lounge.

The blonde startled slightly as if she hadn't even heard Bloom come in, but smiled slightly regardless.

"Hey, how do you feel?"

"Sore. How are you?"

Stella shrugged helplessly. "Not great. I sent Brandon a message earlier, even though I swore I wouldn't give in first."

Bloom bit her lip. "And?"

"And nothing. I got nothing in return."

Bloom grabbed Stella's hand and squeezed it tightly. There were excuses she could offer up in Brandon's defense, like the fact the boys were probably all on high alert and had no time to read messages let alone answer them, but that wasn't what Stella needed. What she needed was the love and support of a friend.

"It's still very dark out there," Tecna said worriedly from the window. She's been so quiet and still standing there that the other two had barely noticed that she was in the room at all. She was right though; the clouds hadn't lifted all day and as the afternoon crept on it was already looking like early evening.

Stella and Bloom exchanged worried glances before rising and joining her at the window, and a moment later, as if sensing the tension in the air Musa and Flora left their respective rooms and joined them as well. The sky outside was very dark and threatening, and out of nowhere a fork of bright lightning suddenly struck in the middle of the quad, sending a few students running for cover. Then the rain began to fall.

Except it wasn't rain at all. The colour was a dark brown and the puddles it left on the ground were too thick to be regular rain. And normal rain didn't make people scream with sheer terror like it was doing to the remaining students on the quad.

Then to the girls total horror they saw the puddles start to quiver and rise up, taking forms of their own.

"What are those?" Bloom gasped.

Stella shook her head wordlessly, before her eyes widened. "I don't know, but I think we're going to find out."

Whatever the creatures on the quad were, were small enough that their exact forms weren't immediately discernible, but there was thousands of them, all forming a massive swarm that had begun to climb the castle walls. A large group of which were heading right for the girl's dorm.

"Are those bugs?" Musa asked, wrinkling her nose.

The bug creatures, which up close looked not dissimilar to scorpions had reached the window and were tapping their little claws on the glass, as if considering how to get through. The girls reeled back in shock, wondering what they were going to do. Then suddenly, as if all possessing the same instincts the bug instantly melted into sludge, and slipped in through the gaps in the frame. These bugs, whatever they were, were now inside with them.

All five girls jumped back at suddenly being on the same side of the glass as those creatures, exclaiming in surprise. Musa and Bloom both swore colourfully, and even Flora, who usually kept her exclamations g-rated looked on the verge of dropping something worse.

"Flora," Stella barked, looking nervous. "Extermination spell?"

Flora mouthed wordlessly at the sheer amount of bugs that were making their way inside. Outside they could see students transforming and flying into the air so they could start to attack the bugs from the safety of the air. But a miss-aimed spell suddenly shattered the glass of the window, and the bugs started swarming in at double the speed. The girls scrambled backwards away from the scuttling bugs, and Bloom tripped over the coffee table. Tecna caught her arm and yanked her upwards and back, eyes trained cautiously on the bugs. None of them had any idea what those claws could do but they weren't eager to find out. The front door to the dorm suddenly crashed open, courtesy of a serious faced Palladium.

"Quickly, girls," he yelled, gesturing for them to follow him out. "Get out of there! We're evacuating to the quad!"

The girls sprinted from the room and joined a steady stream of scared girls out in the hall, running down the stairs. They reached the big double doors and burst through them and out onto the quad, where the carnage of the scene looked ten times worse. Cornered and trapped girls were screaming for help, others in the air were yelling back to them, the sound of spells as they blasted at the bugs, and underneath it all was this odd, shrill clicking sound coming from the swarms of creatures.

The creatures themselves seemed to be everywhere; they came up from the well in the middle of the quad, in through the front gates, from the sky, and were climbing all over the walls. Teachers appeared trying to simultaneously hold back the creatures and wrangle the students into some semblance of an organised attack force, but it was too chaotic for them to have much success.

"We are not going to let a bunch of bugs overrun our school!" Tecna said.

Musa nodded briskly and squashed a stray bug under her foot. "Let's do this!"

It was work of a moment for them to transform, their fairy outfits and wings replacing their regular clothes, and zoom into the air. Watching them go, Bloom had never felt more vulnerable as she had to stay on the ground, and the pain in her chest surged.

"Don't worry," Flora said, as if reading her thoughts. "We've got your back."

The girls stuck true to their word and although they soared into the air, they stayed close, forming a loose semi circle in front of her. Stella tugged her ring free from her finger and it unfurled into it's sceptre form.

" _Sun Sweeper!"_ she bellowed, swiping her sceptre from side to side. An arc of light shot from her weapon, obliterating a swarm of them with one strike.

Musa shot down to the ground and pressed her hands to the gravel, eyes closed and concentrating hard. A second later a base beat began to tremble through the ground, shaking the bugs up and distracting them while Flora conjured beetle eating flowers to snatch them up.

Bloom was so distracted she didn't notice some of the bugs were surrounding her until she felt the tug as one started to climb her pant leg. Gasping she quickly shook it off and squashed it under her sneaker.

"Uh, guys," she called, eyeing the approaching swarm apprehensively. Then suddenly they were the least of her concern because the swarm was no remaining so, but instead was building into a much larger creature, with tentacles for a mouth, and four massive claws. A scream built in her throat and she took off, zigzagging between the duelling fairies and monsters.

Bloom wasn't the only one in trouble however. Musa was so focussed on keeping the pounding base going through the gravel that she didn't even notice when a crowd of bugs surged up behind her, raising a gigantic fist-

" _Digital Dispatcher,"_ Tecna screamed, whipping out an electric green device and throwing it at the monster. It attached with a click then exploded, showering Musa with sludge.

* * *

If the students of Alfea thought they had problems however, they were nothing on what Red Fountain was facing. While Alfea had been sent swarm after swarm of tiny beetles, the fully formed monsters had been sent to Red Fountain. Flying rays choked the sky, snatching up students faster than the archers could shoot them down, and gargantuan monsters on the ground pummelled the students. Because of how close the combat was, the dragons couldn't be used, but they'd instead found other uses for them, the medical students riding atop them to retrieve the injured.

Brandon fought in lines with his peers, the letter from Stella burning a hole in the pocket of his uniform. Classes had been suspended for the day, and instead they'd spent the time tightening security measures and running over plans in case of attack, so there had barely been time for Brandon to read the letter let alone answer it.

Now standing across from a massive boulder fisted monster, wondering if he was going to make it out of this alive, he found himself wishing he had. Even if he had no idea how to explain himself, he didn't want to die with Stella thinking he didn't care for her. The idea that he had to get through this, even if it was to have just one more conversation with Stella was enough for him to grip the hilt of his phanto sword tighter and charge forward with a yell.

In another part of the school Sky was sprinting through an abandoned corridor, cursing himself soundly for having forgotten his shield in his room. He'd just run back to grab it, and make sure Lady was shut in his room with some food when the emergency alert had come through and he knew that the impending attack had finally arrived.

He was so focussed on getting back to his classmates on the quad that he didn't notice the person sprinting in the other direction until they slammed into each other. Sky seized the person's arms to keep them from toppling over, and impatiently shook his blonde hair out of his eyes to get a better look at them.

"Diaspro?!" he asked incredulously, taking in her unusually pale face.

"Oh, Sky, thank god," she said and threw her arms around his neck.

He hugged her back absently, trying to make his brain work through the shock of seeing her. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you but then this all started." She grabbed his arm and started tugging him along in the opposite direction she'd been going. "We need to get out of here."

Sky screeched to a halt, forcing her to stop as well. "I'm not going anywhere except out there to help fight."

Diaspro blinked at him as if he were stupid. "Are you joking?"

"They're my friends, Diaspro. This is my school. I'm not just going to abandon them."

"You're the heir, the only heir to the throne!" she screamed.

Sky shook his head, feeling unusually calm. "Which is exactly why I need to be out there with them. What type of King would I be if I ran away now?"

Without waiting to see her response, he took off, knowing he'd already wasted too much time. She watched him go for only a second, shaking her head before she ran after him.

"Fine, then I'm coming too."

Sky stopped again, wanting to growl in frustration as more time flew by, but he couldn't drag her into this. "You don't have to do this. Not after everything I've done. Get somewhere safe."

"You're not the only one who has to lead one day," she snapped back.

"Diaspro, if something happens to you, your sister-"

He broke off at the pained look that crossed her face. Sky had known Diaspro long enough to know that her tough, hostile exterior was mostly a front to deal with her parents, the expectations they put on her, and all the other stresses of being the Crown Princess. But sometimes Sky wondered if there was anyone Diaspro truly loved other than her younger sister, Amethyst. There was a reason Diaspro was desperate to always please her parents, to go above and beyond in her role as Princess, and it was so Amethyst wouldn't be subjected to the cruel world of royal politics a second before she had to be. And if Diaspro died, all that pressure would fall on Amethyst's tiny shoulders.

"What type of role model would I be if I ran now?" she whispered.

Sky just looked at her. _Red Fountain could fall,_ his gaze said.

 _Then we'll fall with it,_ hers answered.

They nodded sharply at each other before taking off again for the stairs.

Brandon thought the last blow to his head had knocked something loose when he saw Sky charging across the battlefield towards him, Diaspro just behind him. His friend skidded to a stop, spraying him with a sludge. Not that Brandon cared, he was just happy to see Sky alive and looking relatively unharmed.

Without having to talk about it the pair turned around and slammed their backs together, the way they'd always fought when as children they'd gotten into trouble, an occurrence that happened more often than they'd ever admit to their mothers.

"Good to see you guys," Timmy cried, fighting through the mess to their sides. He was holding only a blaster in his hands, but had more swords strapped to his belt. He spun in the sludge and expertly buried three of his magical bullets in the torso of a creature.

"Hey, man," Brandon said over his shoulder to Sky. "If we die-"

"We're not going to die," Sky growled back even though they both knew he was lying. They hadn't been fighting long and things were already looking bad.

"If we die I need you to know I didn't mean it-"

He broke off and they both leapt forward to swipe at monsters before retreating.

"What?"

"When I, you know, said I was only in this for the money. I didn't mean it. I was upset and wanted to hurt you. But-"

He pushed away from Sky back and tackled a monster to the ground, decapitating it's head with a firm strike of his broadsword. He clambered off and hurried back to Sky, who had turned around to watch him.

"Maybe I agreed to be your squire at first for the money," he admitted. "But that's not why I stuck around all these years. You're my friend, Sky, my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without you."

"Duck," was all Sky said in response, and while he was confused Brandon dropped on instinct. He heard a whoosh as Sky's blue sword whipped through the air, then a thunk and a squeal as it evidently found it's target. Brandon turned to find a dead monster melting back into a puddle of sludge right behind him.

Sky looked at him with serious eyes. "I've missed you. And I'm sorry for my part in all this. I always assumed you knew that you could back out of anything, disagree with me about anything, that you were more than just an employee to me. But if you didn't then that's on me, but I hope you know that now."

Brandon nodded grimly. "Noted. And I've missed you too."

"Not that this isn't deeply touching," a familiar voice drawled and they spun around to find Diaspro and Timmy watching them. Diaspro was smirking, while Timmy just looked fondly proud. "But there is a battle going on right now. Do you think you could focus?" Then before they could protest that they _were_ focussed, she raised her hands and blasted a monster that was just about to attack them from behind.

* * *

Bloom ran faster despite her burning legs, not realising that the monster chasing her was backing her into a corner until she reached the locked door. She whipped around, completely overshadowed by the horrible beast. A scream struggled to rise up, but she fought it back down as she tried to remember every lesson Lysippe had drilled into her that day.

But she was saved by the bell, or rather by the giant orb of yellow light. It struck the monster from behind, and it burst into sludge, revealing Professor Palladium standing behind it, hands still glowing faintly.

"Thanks, Professor."

Palladium shot her a grin over his shoulder, as he blasted another monster. "Wouldn't want to lose one of my favourite students, would I? Stay behind me, Bloom."

Bloom followed obediently, stomping and crushing any tiny bugs that came near her. Even if she couldn't be as useful as normal, she could still do something. She just wished she had a baseball bat or something, then she'd really show those monsters.

Nearby Whizgiz instructed the students to clear out of the area, before transforming into a creature Bloom had never seen before. But she didn't care much for it's name, because it had tough skin, lots of horns, and most importantly was gigantic, and allowed the Professor to crush three of the monsters with just one stomp of it's massive foot.

* * *

Up in her office Faragonda and Griselda watched the student battle with worried eyes. An apparition of Saladin stood beside them, possible because the technique relied on magic and not the communication towers.

"They're doing remarkably," Griselda said, more to herself than the headmistress.

Faragonda still looked troubled, because she knew no matter how well the girls were doing now, it was only a matter of time before they started to grow tired.

"How is Red Fountain doing, Professor?"

"Fighting hard," Saladin reported. "But there seems to be no end to these monsters. "It seems every time they cut one down, two more take it's place."

Something on Saladin's end must have caught his attention because his head swiveled round to look at something neither of them could see. His widening eyes were the only warning they got before he abruptly vanished.

"Professor?!" Faragonda cried, but he was already gone.

* * *

By the time the battle ended only an a few hours later, the students of Alfea were tired, but still feeling triumphant after they'd successfully forced the last of the monsters of the the grounds. They were shuffled into the Dining Hall by the teachers, where they promised a hot meal was waiting for them. But up in her office, Faragonda was not feeling nearly as elated, especially as she conversed with Saladin and the Trix, who unfortunately had managed to evade capture by the Magix army.

Projections of the Trix stood in the middle of Faragonda's office, and although they couldn't do any harm in this non-corporal form, the headmistress bristled at the mere sight of them. Saladin was also in the room - physically this time - standing on one side of Faragonda, Griselda on the other. They'd still heard nothing from Headmistress Griffin, and since the young witches were using the crystal balls that connected the three schools, only accessible from Griffin's office, Faragonda and Saladin weren't particularly hopeful that their old friend had managed to escape the Trix.

"It's time to face facts, Professors," Icy purred, a triumphant glint in her eyes. "The Magix army is hours away, no help is coming, and that first attack was just a taste of what's to come. You might as well bow down now and save your schools from total destruction."

Faragonda wanted to tell Icy that she had faced many a mightier enemy than three inexperienced witches over the course of her long life, but that was when the power of the Dragon Fire had been on her side. Having seen the pure destruction such a power could wage, she wisely held her tongue.

"If you lay down your arms, and swear allegiance to us, then we'll let your precious schools continue to stand. If not, they'll be the first we wipe out when we take over this realm. You've got until tomorrow morning to decide."

The witches smirked at them, obviously expecting the two school heads to immediately surrender. When they didn't the Trix just tossed their hair irritably, and disappeared with a flash of blue light.

Faragonda stared at the place where they'd disappeared for a long moment. "If those witches think we're just going to hand our schools over to them, they're crazier than I thought."

Saladin looked more pensive however. "They've got the power of the Dragon Fire," he reminded her.

Faragonda sniffed. "Miriam had much better control on her power, even with a diluted amount." She stood, pacing towards the windows that overlooked the darkening quad, eyes distant with old memories.

"Yes, but Miriam isn't here," Saladin said, impatience beginning to creep into his voice.

"But her daughter is. There may still be a way to defeat them, if Bloom is brave enough."

"Let's hope she is," Saladin said gravely. "I'll see to it that the witches attack Red Fountain first, try to buy you and your girls some time. But Bloom must be swift, I don't know how long my students will hold out."

"Good luck, Professor Saladin."

Faragonda watched her old friend leave, with a sad kind of fondness in her eyes. Even though it had been fifteen years since the war with the Ancestral Witches, she couldn't help but remember the feeling of racing into battle with him, the kind of panic that overtook her when she heard that any of their group, the Company of Light, had been injured, the way his hands had felt like bands on her arms as he'd yanked her away from battle, the way they'd all started to cry silently as their ship flew away, and they were left to watch Oritel, Miriam, and the rest of Sparx be engulfed in fire and destruction.

"Professor?" Griselda said, gently pulling the headmistress from her memories. "What do we do now?"

"Tomorrow organise the girls into groups according to year groups and abilities, Faylinn and Lysippe will help you, and start having them check the protective enchantments around the school and run drills. Red Fountain might try to pull the first attack but those witches will eventually come here and we need to be ready."

Griselda nodded sharply, and strode to the door. Once she reached it she hesitated however, glancing back at Faragonda. "And what about Bloom, Headmistress?"

Faragonda heaved a sigh, turning back towards the window. "Send for her, Stella, Flora, Tecna, and Musa in the morning. Until then let them rest. They're going to need it."

* * *

None of the girls had any idea why when the rest of their classmates were being divided into squads the next day, they were pulled aside and sent up to see Headmistress Faragonda instead. And they only grew even more worried when Faragonda ushered them in and into seats waiting for them, offering them tea and biscuits. It was only when they politely declined, did she seat herself behind her desk, watching them with unusually grave eyes.

"I know you are likely scared already, girls, but I want to be honest with you." She waited until the girls nodded to show they understood before continuing. "I'm afraid our little victory will not last long, girls. Red Fountain is going to try to draw the next wave of attacks."

A gasp trembled out of Stella, and when she spoke her voice was shaking. "They are?"

"Yes, but it is only a diversion. Once Red Fountain falls the witches will turn their attention back on us. Their forces will crash upon our walls."

A whisper of dread snakes its way through the girls at the way Faragonda was speaking, as if their demise was imminent.

"But an Alfea girl never gives up. No matter how slim the hope; and you, Bloom, still hold the key to what little hope we have."

For the first time since they'd sat down Faragonda met Bloom's gaze head on, and the redhead felt a flush of anger as all the memories that she'd been carefully not thinking about came flooding back.

"What am I supposed to do? I don't have any powers remember?"

Her friends stiffened at her tone, but Faragonda didn't even flinch.

"If one candle is used to light another, the fire passes on, but the original flame still glows. You see? They can take the fire from you, but they can't take your ability to burn."

"Those are some very pretty words," Boom snapped. "But that's all they are words. They didn't use my power to light their own fire, they _ripped it from me_. There is nothing left."

Faragonda inhaled sharply, pressing her fingertips to her forehead. "I know- I _know_ you are hurting, Bloom, but you need to listen to me. You are the last heir of the royal family of Sparx, the Dragon Fire is your birthright. Nobody can use it like you can."

Bloom didn't know how it happened but all of a sudden she was on her feet, blood pounding in her ears, chair toppling to the ground behind her. "I don't have it anymore! There is nothing to use!" An ugly sob broke free of Bloom's left. " _There is nothing left!_ There's nothing left," she said again, voice dropping to a whisper.

A hand - she couldn't see whose - grabbed hers, squeezing tightly, and other hands settled on her shoulders, guiding her back into her chair. She went willingly, burying her face into her hands as the tears came thick and fast. Distantly, she heard Faragonda get up from her chair and round the desk, coming to kneel by her chair.

"Bloom," she said gently, pulling Bloom's hands from her face so she had no choice but to look at her headmistress. "Bloom, in it's day Sparx was the greatest of all planets. I wish-" she paused and swallowed roughly. "I wish you could have seen it; it was beautiful. And the Great Dragon was the source of that light. The Ancestral witches extinguished it when they attacked and destroyed Sparx, plunging it into an eternal winter. But the spirit of the Great Dragon may still reside there, and with it a spark of the Dragon Fire."

"You want me to go back to Sparx," Bloom said dully, the realisation sinking through her like lead. "So I can reabsorb the flame."

"There is a chance. And I know that this would be very hard for you, Bloom, and that it would be very dangerous-"

"But we'll be with you, B," Musa broke in, and if Faragonda minded being interrupted she didn't show it.

"Every step of the way," Stella added.

"We've got your back," Tecna said, and Flora nodded fervently.

Bloom was still looking at Faragonda, but it was like she was staring through the headmistress for all that she was seeing her. Instead she was seeing the faces of her parents, always so loving and trusting, believing that she could do anything she set her mind to. And then she saw Oritel, Miriam, and Daphne, the family that had been ripped away from her, stolen before she even got a chance to get to know them.

She closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "Okay," she breathed. "Okay."

"Okay?" Faragonda asked.

"Okay." Bloom stood, and Faragonda with her, but she didn't meet her eyes, looking instead at her friends, and hoping they saw the gratitude in her eyes. "Let's do this."

* * *

Headmaster Saladin was sitting in his office, battle plans scattered across his desk as he poured over them with Codatorta when they were interrupted by a knock on the door, and the unmistakable stench of ogre. One of Saladin's teachers poked his head inside, an apologetic expression already on his face, as if he knew his interruption wouldn't be appreciated.

"A few of the seniors found an ogre approaching from the south. It didn't attack but asked to speak with you."

Saladin and Codatorta exchanged glances. It was well known that the witches they were about to come up against had an ogre working for them as some sort of minion; chances were they could get something of worth from it. Saladin nodded once and the odour increased as the ogre shuffled into the room, looking uncharacteristically nervous as it fiddled with the straps of it's filthy overalls.

The ogre and the wizard eyed each other for a long moment. Ogres for the most part tended to stick to their own realms, preferring to exist in their own independent communities rather than integrate with other species. Their contact was usually limited to meager trade arrangmenets, the ogres usually accepting food and other goods in exchange for labour. Saladin wondered how the ogre had managed to fall in with the Trix.

"Do you have a name," he asked eventually.

"Knut," the ogre grunted in response. His small eyes flickered around rapidly, taking in the office, and Saladin's hands itched to close around his staff.

"And why are you here, Knut? Some trick of those witches, perhaps?"

"No!" Knut said with a sudden vehemence that surprised Codatorta and Saladin. "No, I'm not interested in serving them no longer."

Saladin tilted his head, not convinced that Knut was telling the entire truth. "And why is that?"

"At first they promised me I'd get some power, and I'd thought that would be nice, I wouldn't have to do construction back home no more. But now I know they're only looking after them. And they'll destroy everything in their paths, including the ogre realms."

Again Saladin and Codatorta looked to each other, silently weighing up the truth to Knut's words. The quiet was broken when Codatorta grunted and shrugged, echoing what Saladin himself was thinking. They both doubted that Knut had the brains or the acting skills to play the spy for the Trix; besides what would be the point, with the force the witches had they could crush them easily, there was no need to sneak in and attack.

"And you'd be willing to give up any information you have about the Trix? And when the time comes fight on our side?"

Knut grunted and nodded eagerly.

"That's not playing fair, Saladin," a silky voice purred from the corner of the room and all three of them spun around to find a shimmery holographs of Icy, Darcy, and Stormy smirking at them.

Saladin's staff shot to his hand, the wood creaking ominously as he clenched it between tight fists. His protective enchantments should have kept out any and all magical attacks and yet here they were. And to make matters worse he had no idea how long they'd been standing there, listening, gathering secrets. Still he didn't dignify her comment with a response and just watched warily as Icy's gaze shifted to Knut.

"We'll make you regret the day you ever heard of the Trix," she snarled, and Knut grunted in alarm, shifting behind Codatorta, even though he dwarfed the man in both height and width.

"We got your message, Saladin," Stormy said. "Guess you want to keep your fairy girlfriends safe for as long as possible, huh?"

"How noble," Darcy purred.

"Was there anything else?" Saladin asked. "Or did you just come here to listen to yourselves talk?"

"We'll be back," Icy sneered stalking forwards. "And when we do…" She paused, leaning in towards Saladin. "We're going to burn this place to the ground."

An enraged roar erupted from Saladin, a jet of brilliant gold light shooting from his staff and hitting Icy straight in the chest. All three wtiches snarled at them but flickered and disappeared before they could retaliate.

"Well," Saladin said after a moment's silence. "At least they took the bait."

* * *

Although they didn't quite understand why, the girls were ordered to report to the Magical Reality Chamber after they went back to their dorm to pack a bag. Knowing exactly what to bring had been a real challenge, and they'd each gone down different paths; Tecna had stashed as many books about Sparx she could carry, Musa had shrugged and just stuffed an extra hoodie into her bag, Flora stocked up on enough plants and potions to sustain them for a week, Stella had as much makeup as her bag could hold, and Bloom had a photo of her parents, and after a moment's hesitation had ripped the portrait of her biological family from the library book and shoved it into her backpack.

When they got to the chamber, Faragonda, Griselda, and Palladium were waiting for them, and they were quickly ushered through the control room and into the chamber proper. The chamber itself was as imposing as the last time they'd been there, even more so with the looming knowledge that they would soon be faced with a dead planet. And those had been scary enough when they'd been virtual reality.

"Professor," Tecna called, putting away the book about Sparx she'd been reading as they walked out onto the catwalk. "Might I ask how we're going to get to Sparx? This is a Magical Reality Chamber after all, not a portal."

"Well, Tecna," Palladium said, voice projecting over the intercom. "I've been busy reprogramming the chamber to create a dimensional corridor, or portal as they're also known, that will transport you to Sparx. It's important to know, girls, that just because we are using the chamber as the base, this is not virtual reality. That dangers you'll face will be real and most formidable, with all sorts of nasty creatures inhabiting dead planets."

Faragonda's face leaned down next to Palladium's as she spoke into the microphone. "I wish I could spare a teacher to go with you girls but we need everyone here in case Red Fountain falls quicker than we expect. _But,"_ she continued, voice hardening. "You've all been passing Professor Palladium's class with flying colours and I have no doubt that you are perfectly capable of surviving Sparx."

"Before we can send you, we have to suit you up in the appropriate attire," Palladium told them. "During the final confrontation on Sparx, as Queen Miriam and King Oritel were locking them away, the Ancestral Witches cast a very old and very powerful spell, damning the planet to suffer an eternal winter."

The girls had known about the curse and had thought they'd dressed appropriately, but apparently they had no idea. Instead a weird rushing sensation passed over them, and their clothing was instantly replaced with outfits that reminded Bloom of the time she'd gone on a ski trip with her family; thick snow pants and jackets, lots of layers, as well as gloves, fur-lined hoods, and goggles. They were instantly sweltering.

"Here we go, girls!" Palladium called once they were suited up and ready to go. "Remember, the fate of the universe hangs on your success. Good luck!"

"No pressure of anything," Bloom muttered, and her friends tittered.

"You'll be great," Faragonda said.

Only Griselda didn't say anything, remaining quiet as she had the entire time. The girls were surprised when they looked up at her to see blatant worry clouding her features.

"When you're ready to come back, whether you have the flame or not, or if you're in any trouble just click the red button on the device and we'll send help right away. It also has a map of Sparx built in. Tecna, you'll find the device in your jacket pocket."

Sure enough, Tecna reached into her pocket and pulled out a small rectangular box. It had what looked to be some sort of GPS tracking screen up the top, and a large red button beneath it. Tecna tucked it back away, zipping up the pocket to keep it secure.

"Ready, girls?"

They nodded and instantly the chamber thrummed to life, lights clicking on all around them. However unlike last time when the chamber simply dissolved and reformed around them, this time when the lights overwhelmed them, there was a distinctive feeling of movement, as they were transported out of Alfea, off Magix, and onto Sparx.

For a moment all Bloom could feel was disorientating darkness and cold, and thought that something had gone wrong with the portal. Then as her eyes adjusted, she realised that they had made it to Sparx after all.

In her quest for the Dragon Fire one book Bloom had read had described post-war Sparx as a frigid, desolate, wasteland, and looking around at it now, she had to admit they were downplaying it. Snow covered every inch of the place, the sky looked like it was heading towards night even though by Bloom's calculations it still should have been around mid-day, and the sound of the wind howling set her hair on end.

"Wow," Flora murmured. Her voice was barely audible over the scream of the wind. "What a miserable place."

Stella clicked her tongue, and spoke, sounding way too chipper than they thought she should, considering the weather. "Eternal winters will do that to a planet."

Bloom found herself wanting to bite back at them, remind them that Sparx had once been the most majestic place in the universe. But she didn't know where that feeling had come from, so she shook it off and forced herself to get back on track. "So, where should we start?"

"Well, it was the royal family who had the Dragon Flame. Maybe we should find the palace?" Musa paused and looked around. "What's left of it anyway."

"Leave it to me," Tecna said briskly. "I'll use the navi system in the device Palladium gave us." She fished the navigator out of her pocket, and tapped at the screen a few times. "Okay, looks like we go north. Which would be that way." She pointed out the direction they had to go and they set off, hunkering down to ward off the chill, and weaving between the snow banks, and mounds of ice.

They walked for nearly an hour before they had to stop for a rest, too cold, and too tired already to carry on; although as Tecna pointed out stopping wouldn't help them warm up any. Still the general agreement was to stop and get their breaths back a little, especially when they found out they still had an hour before they'd be anywhere near the palace. So they stood huddled together to conserve whatever warmth they could, and chugged some endurance potions that Flora had brought.

"So what was this place?" Stella asked, squinting through the falling snow at the various ice structures surrounding them.

Tecna consulted the tiny map on her navigation device. "A small town on the outskirts of Eleysghen, the capital city of Sparx. Thought to be the planet's fiery center."

Bloom forced herself to smile. "That sounded like you quoted it right from a book."

" _The Rise and Fall of Sparx_ by Jerome Masden," Tecna replied automatically before grimacing. "We'll need to walk right through the ruins of Eleysghen to get to the palace; it was built on a peak so it could overlook the city."

The group lapsed into silence, looking at the icy structures around them with fresh eyes now that they knew it used to be a town.

"So, I think these behind us were residences." Tecna was squinting down at her navigation device, oblivious to the way Bloom was pointedly looking away, or the dirty looks the others were throwing her.

"And over there were some shops."

"Tec," Flora said quietly, before looking worriedly at Bloom.

"Oh, and that big one, that was the school."

"Tecna!" Musa snapped, finally gaining her attention. But Bloom had already pushed away from the others and stalked off through through the snow. Tecna watched her go, biting her lip, and when the others tried to go after her, Stella held them back with a hand.

"Let her have a minute."

Bloom didn't know how long she stood in front of the school and stared up at it, but it was long enough that any warmth that she'd been feeling was well and truly gone. She couldn't stop looking at what was left of the building, wondering about the children who had gone there, about the people in the entire town. Had they known what was coming, or had it been quick? They'd had to have known a war was on, were they scared something like this would happen? Or did they trust that their King and Queen would keep them safe?

For the first time Bloom was glad she didn't have her powers anymore, because she knew if she had that fire surging through her in that moment there was no chance she'd be able to stop it from engulfing everything.

A few minutes later Stella walked up beside her and as quickly as the anger had appeared it vanished again. Neither of the two girls spoke a word, still just staring up at the ice covered building.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Bloom said quietly, her words emerging with a puff of white air. "I was a baby when all this happened, I shouldn't feel so…"

"Guilty?" Stella supplied when Bloom couldn't. "Comes with the royal territory I'm afraid."

"I've known I'm royal for less than a week."

"And you already feel responsible, right? Feel like you owe them something? Trust me, I get it."

Bloom finally dragged her eyes away from the school, feeling them burn with the threat of approaching tears. "They were just kids. Innocent people. And they're all gone."

"I know, Bloom. I know."

Bloom sniffled as the first tear slipped down her cheek and Stella immediately wrapped her up in a tight, warm hug. They didn't hear them walk up, but all of a sudden the other girls were with them, joining in for a group hug. Bloom swiped at the tears running down her face.

"I'm sorry I'm such a mess, guys. This is all just a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."

"Don't be silly, sweetie," Flora said.

"I should have been more sensitive."

Bloom managed a watery smile to show her she wasn't holding a grudge.

"I think we're all just doing the best we can," Musa said, shuffling on the spot to keep warm. "We just need to stick together."

"Yeah. Let's get moving. I want to get the flame and get out of here."

No one argued and they all set off again, quickly moving through the town and away from it. Secretly none of them were disappointed to leave it behind. Unfortunately any tenderness they were feeling after their hug disappeared fairly swiftly once they were subjected to the stinging, cold air once again, and all too soon they were grumbling again.

"Just find your warm inner place and keep walking," Flora called to them, clearly trying to sound upbeat despite everything.

But Stella wasn't in the mood; the sun fairy finding this winter weather most unbearable. "You find your warm inner place, Flora," she snapped back. "I'll take a blanket, and a planet that isn't cursed."

"How much further?"

Tecna checked her device, grimaced, and purposefully didn't answer Bloom's question. "Come on, girls. Less talking more moving." She figured the girls didn't need to know they still had a good forty five minutes worth of walking to go.

* * *

At Red Fountain the students were assembled in their squadrons, faces identical with grim determination. The battle the night before had been tough but they'd managed to beat the hordes of monsters back, and each and every young hero was ready and willing to do it again.

Saladin stood straight backed before his students, preparing to address them. "Gentlemen, our scouts report that the second wave of attacks is on it's way. You fought well yesterday, and I know you are tired, but now is the time that you put all that you've learnt to the test. We may be outnumbered, but that does not mean we are outmanned!"

Codatorta stepped up and surveyed the young men, a nerve ticking in his jaw. "May we live with courage!"

"And die with honour!" The boys thundered back, thrusting their weapons in the air as they completed the Red Fountain school motto.

The teachers quickly swarmed in, and began organising the squadrons they'd been assigned to oversee, shepherding them into position, and giving out instructions and last minute advice.

"Some of these boys could die," Codatorta said in an undertone to Saladin. He might be hard on the boys but deep down he cared for each and every single one of them, only working them so hard so that they would be prepared when they were ready to go out and fight evil. The evil wasn't supposed to attack them while they were still in school.

Saladin turned to meet his second's gaze head on, deep sorrow and regret in his eyes. "What other choice do we have? Let's get ready."

Not ten minutes after the students of Red Fountain had assembled into their positions, and had completed their final checks of their weapons and equipment, a bolt of lightning in an unnatural shade of red emerged from the dark sky. It struck the pavement of the quad with enough force that it left an ugly, black mark in its wake. A ripple of uncertainty passed through the students but they held firm, knowing that the Trix and their monsters couldn't be far off.

Sure enough, a moment later, as if the lightning strike had been a signal, thick, dark, rain started to fall, collecting in puddles and rising up first into the tiny scorpion-like bugs, and then into bigger, and more threatening, monsters.

Codatorta, who had pulled himself up onto a nearby battlement so he could oversee the battle, clenched his fists and began to call orders. "Freshman and Sophomores, stay back! Juniors, Seniors, hold your lines steady! Wait for my command!"

There was a single, long, peaceful moment where time seemed to stand still and the two sides just stared at each other; the juniors and seniors at the front, their confidence shining through the defiance on their faces, the sophomore and freshmen behind them, their uncertainty evidenced in the white knuckled grip they each had on the hilt on their weapons.

Then the moment broke and the two sides surged for each other. The battle was on.

For a moment it went exactly as they had planned. The juniors and seniors ran ahead to take out as many of the monsters as possible, leaving the sophomores just behind to pick off any that got through. But then more and more of the creatures started getting through, and then the lines broke, the scene of the battle descending into chaos.

"Squadrons Alpha and Delta fall back," Codatorta screamed from above. "Circle around and catch them by surprise!"

Bradon, Sky, and Timmy's squad flung themselves into the battle, swiping at the monsters, who exploded with a scream and bursts of dark brown sludge. Diaspro flew alongside them, ducking and weaving around the monsters, before blasting them with bright gold balls of energy.

"Nice job, Bishop," Brandon yelled as one of his squadmates took out a large monster with a particularly well aimed strike. "But if you think that was good, check this out."

Brandon leapt into the air, used one monster as a springboard to jump off from and twisted through the air to decapitate another. Sky swept through after him to take out the first monster, slicing through it's abdomen with his sword. They watched in horror, however, when a third monster snuck up on them and caught their squadmate Bishop unaware with a large fist to the ribs. Bishop was thrown through the air and collided painfully with a wall, where he fell to the ground and didn't move again.

"You take care of that one," Sky said, indicating the monster with a jerk of his head. "I'll make sure Bishop's okay."

Sky left Brandon and Timmy to it; Brandon taking his green sword to the monster's head, while Timmy shot out it's feet with his gun. Sky meanwhile fought his way over to wear Bishop lay crumpled to the ground, thankfully alive, but out cold, with a nasty cut on his head, his usually purple hair already starting to stain red. Sky activated the gem on the clasp of Bishop's cloak which acted as an alert to the medical team, sending them his location so they could come pick him up. Sky defended the position while the medics arrived and saw Bishop safely out of there, before throwing himself back into the battle.

What the Red Fountain students soon realised was that while they might be able to destroy the monsters, it was only temporarily, and the sludge they dissolved into would eventually rise back up into new monsters.

"How are we supposed to stop these things?" Timmy cried out. He'd just shot one monster down only to turn around and find two more behind him.

A warning cry rose up from the archers that lined the battlement before a wave of arrows shot through the sky and down into the quad. Because they were fighting in such close quarters, Saladin and Codatorta had decided that only the most advanced of the seniors would be allowed to assist their archery teacher up on the battlement, and it was the right choice because every single arrow hit it's mark. Some of the smaller creatures could only withstand a single arrow before they dissolved, while it took two or three to take out the bigger ones, but still with a single attack the archery brigade managed to take out nearly a quarter of the monsters. That is until the sludge reformed and they rose up once again.

Brandon gritted his teeth, and, ignoring the burning in his muscles, swung his sword with even more power, slicing into the monsters, and watching them explode into sludge. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Knut seizing a large, boulder-fisted monster by the arm and slam into the wall, where it too disappeared.

"Nice one, Knu!"

"Thanks," the ogre grunted, before catching sight of something over the brunette's shoulder. "Behind you!"

Brandon swung around, sword already in motion as he swung it up to land a blow on the monster's chest. But this type of monster had a thick, almost armoured skin about him, and most of the force of the blow glanced off, leaving behind only a shallow cut. Brandon grunted in surprise, but didn't let it stop him, for hacking at the monster's neck next, trying to dodge the monster's fists. Fortunately Sky came running out of the throng, blue blade glinting amongst the dark sludge. The blonde took a great leap and landed on the monster's back, plunging his sword into the it's shoulder, while at the same time, Brandon shoved his into the monster's stomach. The two deep stab wounds were enough to dissolve the monster, and Sky tumbled off, landing in the sludge.

Codatorta watched the battle from above with a grim expression on his face. Saladin beside him looked serene, but Codatorta had worked under him long enough to recognise the tight set of his shoulders. They shared a single glance, but it was enough for them both to know it was time for them to join the battle.

With a great battle roar, Codatorta leapt from the battlement, and landed in the thick of the battle. In one smooth movement he yanked the hilt of his blade from his belt, and pressed on the gemstone, activating a long royal blue blade, razor sharp on one side, and serrated on the other. With speed that seemed to defy his giant form, Codatorta wove between the battling students, cutting down monsters like it was a second thought.

Meanwhile, Saladin disappeared off the battlement, and reappeared on the other side of the battle, staff in hand, the gem set into the head already glowing a bright, molten gold. He raised the staff, and chanted a spell in an ancient language. Power radiated off the words, and the results were instant, every monster present dissolving into a mess of goo.

The students froze for a moment, mouths agape, and blades drooping, before they began to cheer, thinking it was all over.

"Oh fuck," Brandon muttered. Because the monsters weren't staying down, and some were already starting to rise up again.

He yanked his sword back into position, and settled into a defensive position, even as every muscle in his body screamed at him not to. Sky appeared beside him, blue sword and shield, shining through all the mud and goo that covered the rest of him. Diaspro appeared on Sky's other side, face unusually grim, and for the first time that Brandon had seen, not caring about the state of her hair or clothes. Finally Timmy stepped up on Brandon's other side, raising his blaster into place.

Before they could throw themselves back into battle, a cruel voice, magnified so they could hear it over the sounds of the battle. At Icy's voice the monsters stilled, turning their horrible faces towards their master.

"My, my," Icy said smugly, kicking her feet back and forth where she was perched atop one of the battlements. "What an effort you've all put in. And what a shame it'll all be for nothing." She turned her gaze towards the dragon that were circling above, and the medical team riding atop them. "Dragons of Ice and Fire, as the holder of the Dragon Flame, I am your master now! Break your shackles and descend upon my enemies! Destroy them!"

The students on the ground could only watch with growing horror as the dragons gave almighty shakes, and bucked their mounts right off. Saladin managed to slow their descent with magic, but could do nothing when the dragons turned to attack the students themselves.

"Retreat!" Codatorta bellowed over the chaos that erupted as students tried to dodge both dragon and monsters alike. "Seniors you hold the monsters off, everyone else, evacuate!"

Flames burst from the dragon's mouths. Luckily they seemed to be mostly targeting the school buildings rather than the students, but it still made it difficult for the students who were fighting to get inside and to the ship bay. Saladin, and a few other magic users on the staff, stayed behind with the seniors to extinguish the flames, and keep the monsters from following them inside. It was a lot harder, however, to stop the one ice dragon, Red Fountain had in their stables, from directing it's frost at the school.

Brandon, Sky, Timmy, and Diaspro sprinted through the halls with the rest of the students, tension and unease running rampant amongst them all. There was also an undercurrent of calm, however, their training, and the numerous drills they'd done over the year kicking in to keep them in control.

"Wait," Sky said, throwing a hand out to catch Brandon's shoulder. "Lady."

Brandon grimaced, understanding immediately. "Where is she?"

"I locked her in the dorm."

They didn't know if it would be the fire or the frost that ultimately brought Red Fountain down, but there was no denying that it would be lost. And if they didn't go get the dog now, she would be lost along with it.

"You've got to be joking-" Diaspro started but Sky and Brandon were already running off.

"Get to the evacuation point. We'll meet you there," Sky yelled, just before they disappeared around a corner.

Timmy paused, staring after them worriedly and forcing the other students to surge around him, until cursing, Diaspro seized a hold of his wrist and tugged him along.

Sky and Brandon didn't think they'd ever run so fast in their lives, but everytime they started to slow, the temperature dropped another degree and they hurtled along faster. They had their answer; Red Fountain was succumbing to the ice dragon's frost and if they didn't get out of their soon, they were going to be trapped in there as well.

Lady, either feeling the drop in temperature or sensing something was wrong, was whining at scratching at the door when they got back to the dorm. It was work of a second to yank open the door and pick Lady, who was trembling, up and tuck her into his chest. For a split second, Sky felt the urge to dart inside and see if there was anything important he wanted to take with him. But frost was already starting to creep up the windows of the hallway, and they knew they didn't have much time left. So they slammed the door, and ran, hoping that whatever they left behind would survive the ice.

* * *

Bloom couldn't feel her toes by the time their little group had made it through Eleysghen, and were at the base of the hill they would have to scale if they hoped to find the Sparx royal palace.

"I don't know if I can do this," Flora whimpered, staring into the shadowed distance.

"What happened to your warm inner place?" Musa wanted to know, but exhaustion took the edge out of her voice.

"It froze!"

"This is it, isn't it, Tec?"

But Tecna was frowning down at her GPS device. "We shouldn't be quite there yet. I'm not sure what that is."

Their frowns deepened as they each turned their gazes back on the hill, which began to tremble and shake before their very eyes.

"What the-" Bloom started, wondering if it was an earthquake or something.

Then the hill seemed to unfurl, snow cascading off it, and it straightened to reveal itself as a gigantic, white, yeti-like monster, looming out of the darkness. The girls couldn't help the screams that escaped them as they quickly backed up, tilting their heads back so they could keep the monster in their sights. The monster let out a earth-shuddering roar as it straightened to it's full height, beady, red eyes fixing on them. It took only a flick of one humongous hand to cover the girls in snow, burying them so quick they didn't even have time to outrun the wave.

Luckily for the girls, the layer covering them was only thin, and they were able to push themselves back to the surface with minimal effort. But the act drained them, and they were suddenly twice as cold, covered in ice as they were.

"Is everyone okay?" Bloom called, as shaking, and stumbling they pushed themselves to their feet.

"Yeah," Tecna said. She shook her head trying to dislodge the snow that was clinging to both her parka hood and fringe. Tecna cut a look at the monster, who hadn't made another move towards them, but hadn't taken it's eyes off them either. "Let's get out of here."

They darted around the monster; it would have been safer to run in the opposite direction, but that would have also meant running away from the castle. So instead the girls split up, Bloom and Stella running one way, and the other three going the other, forcing the monster to choose who to target.

He disarmed the trio on one side with a casual sweep of his arm, throwing them into a nearby mound of snow, that left them unhurt but dazed. Seeing how easily their friends had been taken out, Stella wasted no time in transforming. It meant that her thick snow gear was replaced by the thinner clothing of her fairy form, but the extra magic coursing through her in that form also kept her from feeling the freezing temperatures. She plucked her ring from her finger, and it grew into the sceptre.

"Let's see if you can take this heat," she snarled, a jet of bright golden light shooting from the sceptre and hitting the monster square in the face. It didn't leave a visible mark, but from the loud roar it let out, it clearly wasn't pleased. "Bloom, run!"

Bloom wanted to argue, to stand her ground and have Stella's back, especially considering the others were still out of commission. But then the monster turned to a nearby structure and broke off a massive ice shard, easily double Bloom's height, and swung it around a few times threateningly. Bloom promptly turned on her heel and started running up the hill in front of her, Stella flying closely on her tail.

The monster lumbered after them, and when Bloom chanced a look behind her she saw that Musa, Tecna, and Flora had picked themselves up and were giving chase as well. They were yelling at the monster, and throwing whatever they could get their hands on at it in an attempt to distract it, but the monster either didn't notice, or chose to ignore them. It pulled back it's arm, holding the ice shard like a javelin, and Bloom could only cry out a warning to Stella, before it let it fly towards them.

Bloom dove one way, and Stella the other, both landing heavily in the snow. Bloom lifted her head and swiped the snow off her goggles so she could see where the ice shard had landed, and whether all her friends were unharmed. Fortunately, the ice hadn't hit any of the girls, but unfortunately the force of the monster's snow had driven it deep into the ground, and a crack was already beginning to form in the ground.

"Bloom!" Musa cried, capturing her attention.

She looked around and realised with horror that the crack was creeping along the ground back towards the monster, creating a crevice that she was dangerously near to. She scrambled to her feet, unsure whether she should try to jump over the crack back towards her friends, or just get away from the edge altogether. But the moment of hesitation was her undoing, and the quaking ground beneath her feet, combined with the slippery snow, was enough for her to lose her footing, and tumble down into the depth of the crevice. There was only a moment, where she caught a flash of a horrified face, and the terrible scream of her name, before everything went black.


	22. Chapter 22

The mood was somber as the Red Fountain ships closed in on Alfea, landing wherever they could find the space, some in the main quad, and the others round the back and sides of the school, in the narrow clearing of grass between the castle and the start of the forest that surrounded. The ship Sky was on, crammed with a few dozen of his classmates, let out a breath of relief as the door opened and they could finally get off. Lady, wiggling in Sky's arms, was particularly excited and as soon as he put her down immediately scampered off to sniff at the all the new smells Alfea offered.

The front door creaked open and Headmistress Faragonda along with her Deputy, Griselda came striding out. Following much slower were some Alfea students, many of them already clad in pyjamas.

Out of the corner of his eye, Sky caught sight of one the Red Fountain guys elbowing his friends and attempting to straighten up despite his injured shoulder.

"Stand tall, guys," Sky heard him say. "We don't want to look like a bunch of losers in front of these girls."

Sky rolled his eyes wondering how he had the energy to be worried about such things, and heard Brandon snort beside him. Sky didn't think the girls would be worried about such things, since more than a few of them were sporting visible injuries; clearly Alfea hadn't escaped unscathed either.

"This way, gentlemen," Faragonda called briskly, as Griselda ushered the Alfea students aside. "There's hot meals waiting in the dining hall, and healers on hand for anyone who needs medical attention."

The most injured went ahead of everyone else, most able to walk towards the waiting healers, but a few had to be carried. Sky watched them go past with a grimace, mind already turning through the words of a Hero's prayer for their safety.

Nearby Codatorta, Saladin, Griselda, and Faragonda had congregated to discuss the situation.

"They fought as hard as they could, but it just wasn't enough."

"I'm sure your boys put up a tremendous effort," Faragonda said kindly.

"I suggest the boys sleep in shifts," Codatorta suggest, getting right down to business. "That way some will be available for guard duty. Unfortunately I don't think we have enough room for everyone to sleep on the ships."

"We were running out of time to evacuate Red Fountain," Saladin explained. "And that meant packing more students onto less ships. The bigger and newer ships have sleeping quarters but there won't be nearly enough room for everyone."

"Not to worry," Griselda broke in. "There are a number of spaces we can use as sleeping quarters. It won't be the most comfortable-"

"The boys will manage. Thank you."

Griselda merely nodded in response and walked off quickly to start getting it organised. Codatorta remained to get volunteers for the first guard shift. Timmy and a large handful of others were immediately dismissed to get their minor wounds treated by the healers, and more still, including Brandon, were not chosen merely because of how run down they looked, which left a small group, including Sky, just large enough to go relieve the fairies already on guard duty.

"Hey," Sky said, grabbing Brandon's arm before they parted. "Could you grab Lady, make sure she gets something to eat and drink, and somewhere to stay?"

"Of course."

Sky reported to his station up on one of the battlements, passing by the dining hall on his way. He saw some of the others grabbing plates of food to take with them to their guard stations, but Sky just grabbed a muffin they had set out on a trolley and headed up to the roof.

He found the fairy he was to replace, the poor girl leaning back against the wall, and looking so tired that she seemed only a few blinks away from completely nodding off. She shot him a grateful smile and stumbled inside, while Sky got comfortable on the edge of the battlement, legs dangling over the side.

He'd only been sitting there a few minutes, picking at his muffin, and marveling at what a serene night it was, considering the battle that had just ended, when he sensed someone approaching. Thankfully the person spoke before Sky had to sacrifice the muffin going for his weapon.

"Relax, it's just me," Diaspro said, settling beside him.

"Oh," Sky said dumbly, before breaking the muffin up and offering her half.

"Thanks."

She didn't say why she'd decided to come out and join him, rather than staying inside and getting something hot to eat, but she didn't have to. Sky knew he owed her an explanation. And an apology.

He sat for a moment, just trying to work out where to even start, or if he even should. Maybe, he wondered, she'd earnt the right to say her piece first, and to tell him all the things she'd no doubt been feeling since the exhibition.

"You know," Diaspro said suddenly. "When my parents first told me we were going to get married, I wasn't upset. I know you probably were, but my parents have been controlling my life since the day I was born, and some part of me knew this had to be coming."

"Diaspro," Sky breathed, but she ignored him.

"And you know what I thought? I thought 'God, I'm glad they chose him'."

Sky's eyes flickered closed and his face went stricken as if the words physically pained him.

Diaspro either didn't notice, or didn't care, and continued. "You see those creeps around at all the balls, and the parties, and the galas, the ones who've let the power go to their heads, and you just _know_ they'd be nightmares behind closed doors. And I remember feeling so supremely lucky that at least my parents hadn't married me off to one of them. I thought 'Not Sky. He's a good man, he's going to be a good king, and he'll be a good husband. Maybe it won't be the marriage I always dreamed of having, but it would be nice'. And I knew I didn't love you, and that you didn't love me, but we were friends, and I just hoped that maybe something might grow between us."

"But don't we deserve better than that?" Sky whispered brokenly, leaning towards Diaspro. "Don't we deserve better than nice? Better than good? Better than a maybe? I couldn't help but wonder at those things, and then when I met Bloom, and I started to feel something I'd never felt before, it became a lot harder to ignore those questions. I started to think 'Doesn't Diaspro deserve-'"

"Don't," Diaspro snapped so suddenly, that Sky jerked backwards. She wasn't looking at him but staring out at the Alfea Quad, jaw clenched and hands balled into fists. "Don't you dare pretend that I ever crossed your mind once you met _her."_ Finally she turned to look at him, eyes as hard as diamond chips. "You weren't thinking of me. You were thinking of _you_ , _your_ happiness, and what _you_ wanted."

Sky swallowed roughly. "You're right. You- you're right. I was," Sky paused and a humourless chuckle escaped him. "I was a selfish prick, and I got so caught up in her, in how I was feeling, that I didn't even think of you. And I'm sorry for that, Diaspro, I'm so fucking sorry. I shouldn't have ever started something like that with her without working out what I was going to do about us first. It wasn't fair on you, and it wasn't fair on her. And all I can do is tell you how sorry I am, and how much I regret it."

It took her a minute, but eventually her chin dipped, an acknowledgment, and nothing more, but Sky could breathe a little easier..

"But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

Diaspro blinked and glanced at him, momentarily lost.

"I'm not wrong that we deserve better, both of us. We're going to dedicate our lives to leading our realms, and we deserve to be able to do it by the side of someone we truly love, and someone who truly loves us."

Diaspro shook her head, and Sky was aghast to see tears lining her eyes. "My parents would never allow it. They'll just find the next highest bidder who wants an alliance with Juvel."

Sky chucked aside his half of the muffin to take her hand and weave their fingers together. "You can't let them do it, Diaspro. I know how bad your parents are, I know that they're probably ten times worse than mine, and that's saying something."

Diaspro gave a wet chuckle.

"I know. But you can't let them do it to you. You need to stand up for yourself, put your foot down, and do what you want for the first time in your life."

Diaspro wrenched her hand away. "And if they try to take my crown? Force me to abdicate or just disown me altogether?"

Despite himself, Sky felt himself begin to smile. "I'd love to see them try, Diaspro, because I don't know if it's occurred to you, but you're kind of a force of nature in your own right. And your people love you."

"My people think I'm a spoilt brat," she muttered under her breath.

"I've seen you with them," Sky reminded her. "They adore you. And I shudder to think how they would react if your parents tried to force you out, or tried to marry you off. And even if they do manage it, then I'll give you whatever position you want in Eraklyon."

"Really?"

"I'd be honoured to have you be part of my Court, and we'd be lucky to have you."

"You would really do that for me?"

Sky shrugged, feeling like it still didn't make up for the things he'd done. "We've been through a lot together, and you're one of the smartest people I know. Really, you'd be doing me a favour."

Diaspro smiled, seeing right through him. "Just when I want to hate you, you have to be all good and noble again."

"I'm just doing what I should have done in the first place."

Diaspro's smile faded slightly but before she could reply, the sound of footsteps approaching them alerted them to someone's presence, another Red Fountain even though there was no way it was already time to swap guard shifts.

"Headmaster Saladin has requested your presence in Headmistress Faragonda's office immediately. I'm to relieve you on guard duty."

The student eyed Diaspro with disapproval as though yearning to point out that students on guard duty weren't supposed to be distracted, but he held his tongue, probably a combination of Sky's royal status, as well as Diaspro's infamous temper holding him back. Sky glanced at Diaspro, not wanting to leave so quickly after hashing everything out with her, but not really able to ignore a direct summons from his headmaster either.

She just smiled and flicked her wrist. "Go, I'll be fine." She cut a glance at the other student. "You can go to, I'll take over here."

The student hesitated, obviously debating whether he could end up in trouble over this, before shrugging and leaving. Sky hesitated only a moment longer.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes," Diaspro said with an eye roll, making clear what she thought of his concern.

"Come find me later?"

"Yes, now go," she said, this time with a fond twist of her mouth.

Things weren't perfect between them, and probably wouldn't be for a while, but at least they'd taken those first steps.

* * *

Once Brandon finished eating, and had managed to summon the energy, he headed out on the front quad to look for Lady. She was easy enough to find, the protective barrier around Alfea had kept her from wandering, and he soon found her entertaining a group of fairies who were throwing a stick to her. He almost didn't want to take Lady away, because the fairies playing with her were smiling despite their injuries but he needed to get her settled somewhere with food, water, and a bed before he got called away to do something else, or another wave of attacks arrived.

"Sorry, ladies," he said with his usual grin. "But I've got to get this little lady something to eat and drink."

The girls cooed a little in disappointment, but just patted Lady on the head, and let her bound over to Brandon at his sharp whistle, just one of the many commands Sky had taught her.

It was only when Brandon got back into the castle and had Lady trotting faithfully at his side, that he realised he had no idea where to take her. He stopped dead in the hallway, plate of food in one hand, and bowl for water in the other, and cursed soundly. He didn't think he could take her back to where he would be sleeping, mostly because he had no idea where he would be sleeping yet. Plus it was probably going to be chaotic, with people constantly rushing in and out to run missions, check perimeters, go on guard duty, not at all secure for a dog. So Brandon sighed, and wishing he had another choice, he called for Lady to follow him and headed up to Stella's dorm.

"You better hope they can't resist those big brown eyes," he told her as they got to the right hallway. Lady wagged her tail in response.

Brandon paused before the door, marveling at how quickly everything had changed between them. Not a week ago he wouldn't have hesitated to ask a favour or knock on their door, but that was before everything got so messed up.

One particular line from Stella's letter, which Brandon had been reading over and over in his mind since he received it, flashed through his mind; _please don't take this message as an indication of my forgiveness, nor as a desire for regular correspondence._ It was a good reminder for whenever he felt the urge to contact her, that she had no desire to talk to him.

Which meant she was going to be really unhappy when she answered the door.

Sighing, Brandon tucked the bowl under his arm and used his free hand to knock tentatively on the door. A minute passed, then another, and no one answered the door. Brandon's expression morphed into a frown, and he knocked again, harder this time. But again no one answered, and cringing slightly, and hoping he didn't get spelled in retaliation for what he was about to do, he turned the doorknob, unlocked, and ducked his head inside.

"Hello?" he called out.

A silent dorm room greeted him, and he took a few cautious further inside. Lady bounded past him, eagerly sniffing at the unfamiliar rooms.

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

But the dorm was clearly empty, even though Brandon checked all the rooms and even the bathroom and balcony to be sure. He stood frozen in the middle room, unsure what to do now, until Lady bumped her nose purposefully against his leg, and he set the plate of food down, and filled the bowl with water from the bathroom tap. Then he liberated some cushions from the lounge and draped a towel from the bathroom over them to form a misshapen lump that could serve as a temporary bed for Lady.

Brandon wasn't sure why he was so surprised to find the dorm empty. He'd just figured they'd be here. He hadn't caught even a glimpse of Stella or any of her friends since he'd gotten to Alfea, something he found odd even though Alfea was a large school with extensive grounds. He figured any number of them could be out checking perimeters or on guard duty, but found it strange that all of them were out at the same time.

"They're not here," a voice said from the doorway, and Brandon whirled around to see a fairy standing there. She looked to be about his age - although it was hard to tell with fairies - and wore a slight smile despite the large cut across her forehead. "I live next door, heard you knocking."

"Where did they go?" Brandon asked, because the way she'd spoken made it sound like they had indeed gone somewhere, and weren't just out running drills or something.

"Who knows? They got called to see Faragonda earlier and no one's seen them since. There's so much gossip and rumours going around, it's hard to know where they've gone. Although my money's on Sparx."

Brandon's mouth went dry. Everyone knew the history of Sparx, the frozen wasteland of a planet, so desolate that no one, not even the most adventurous of explorers dared to go there. "Why Sparx?"

The fairy blinked at him, then shook her head. "Sorry, I keep forgetting that no one else knows this, it's been so full on, I still can't believe it's only been a few days since this all came out. You know, Bloom, the redhead girl from Earth."

"Yeah, of course." Even if Brandon hadn't met and hung out with her himself, he'd heard Sky wax poetic about her enough this year to feel like he knew her.

"Turns out she's actually the lost Princess of Sparx. And had this thing called the Dragon Fire? I didn't actually know anything about it, but my room-mate was telling me…"

The girl kept rambling, but Brandon was no longer hearing her, he was still trying to process that Bloom, level headed Bloom, nice but sarcastic Bloom was secretly a Princess. And not just a Princess, but a Princess of the legendary Sparx. And what's more she had the Dragon Fire, the very force they'd been trying to find to stop it falling into the witches hands. He couldn't believe it had been right under their noses the entire time.

"... not that she has it anymore-"

"What did you say?" Brandon interrupted, not caring that it was rude. "What doesn't she have anymore?"

"Oh, it's so sad," the fairy said. "Three witches who used to go to Cloud Tower stole her powers from her. She can't do anything anymore, not even transform."

"The witches have the Dragon Fire? That's how they managed to summon the Army of Decay?"

"Yeah."

"I've got to go," Brandon blurted out, mind racing. He didn't know what they would be able to do about it, but he had to get to Sky and Timmy so they could start planning how to help the girls. There was no way he was going to sit around at Alfea knowing that Stella, and the others, were in danger. He bent down to pat Lady comfortingly where she had curled up on her new bed, and dashed past the confused fairy and out the door, nearly colliding with a red faced Timmy who was coming the other way.

"Timmy, we've got to find Sky," Brandon said.

"Saladin wants to see us in Faragonda's office, right now," Timmy said at the same time.

* * *

Faragonda sat behind her desk, chin resting on templed fingers, surveying them coolly over the top of her spectacles.

"I must say, Professor Saladin, I was expecting you to select students who were… older."

"Uh, select students for what exactly?" Sky asked, completely in the dark.

Brandon stood beside him, a quiet hope ballooning in his chest. He'd filled Timmy in on what he'd learned as they'd run up to Faragonda's office, but had had no chance to tell Sky before they'd been called in.

Faragonda tilted her head, expression inscrutable. "Select a team of students to fly a space craft to Sparx, and extract a group of Alfea students."

"I assure you, Headmistress, despite recent events suggesting otherwise, Sky, Brandon, and Timmy are more than capable." He shot them a long look, and the message in it was silent but clear, this would be their chance to redeem themselves. "Bloom and the others will be in safe hands."

"Excuse me, but why exactly is Bloom on Sparx?" To anyone else Sky might have sounded calm, but Brandon could hear the undercurrent of tension in his voice. Sky knew was well as anyone, Sparx's treacherous reputation.

And so the story came out, Faragonda explaining everything that the fairy Brandon met had guessed at. That Bloom who was indeed the second daughter of Queen Miriam and King Oritel, had lost her powers, and traveled back to her home planet, accompanied by Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna, to see if she could get them back.

There was a long moment of silence as Sky digested the news. "You mean to tell me," he said lowly. "You sent a vulnerable fairy to one of the most dangerous places in the dimension, with only her friends, who are first years, as protection."

Brandon winced, watching as Faragonda's face went tight, wanting to warn his friend to be careful.

"We weren't faced with many options," is all Faragonda said in reply.

"There was always the option not to send her," Sky hissed.

"Sky," Brandon said warningly but his friend ignored him.

"And when those witches inevitably tire of toying with us and come here, the full weight of the Dragon Fire on their side, what then, young man? We would be _decimated."_ Faragonda rose from her chair to her full height of five feet two inches, and despite it all, Brandon could see, just by looking into her eyes, exactly why she was one of the most respected fairies in the dimension. "You are a child, you don't know what someone with that type of power is capable of. I gave Bloom the choice, and she was brave enough to go to Sparx, much braver, may I add, than you are showing yourself to be."

Sky looked like he wanted to continue to argue but instead he looked at Brandon, who shrugged. They could quibble all they liked about the decision to send Bloom and the others to Sparx, but it wouldn't change anything. All they had control of now was what they did next.

Saladin, who had been quiet thus far, spoke up, speaking Brandon's thoughts. "You can stay here and argue all you like about the decisions Headmistress Faragonda made, Sky. Or you can go down to where Professor Hillbrane has prepared a ship for you, and begin the mission I know you are more than capable of completing. I suggest the latter."

Again Sky glanced at Brandon, and then at Timmy. He chose the latter.

* * *

Stella, Musa, Tecna, and Flora stood at the edge of the massive chasm, staring down into its shadowy depths, arguing about their options.

"I could definitely do it," Stella said, advocating for a plan where they flew into the chasm to retrieve Bloom.

"You definitely couldn't," Tecna yelped in response. She pointed at the chasm. "Do you see how narrow it is? Bloom would have been lucky to have fallen into it without scraping herself. You go in there with your wings and you're sure to do some damage, and I'm sure I don't have to explain to you why that would be bad."

It was true the chasm was very narrow, and hadn't been a clean split, with jagged shards of ice lining both sides. Fairy wings were tough but they weren't impenetrable and tears to them could take months to heal, and flying would be totally out of the question during that time.

"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Stella yelled, frustration and the freezing environment starting to get to her. "Or are you proposing we just leave her down there?"

Tecna ignored the comment. "I think the best course of action would be to find exactly where Bloom fell and make sure she isn't badly injured. Whether she can move easy will greatly influence how we get her out of there."

Stella admitted grudgingly that it was a good next step.

"I've got an energy sensing spell," Musa offered. "I use it when I need to find my Dad backstage and I don't have reception. I can tailor it to sense specific people. Check it out."

Musa lifted her gloved hands and hummed quietly, a purple ball of magic appearing between her palms. It hesitated only a second before racing towards the chasm, floating along the crack before abruptly stopping and diving down. A second later it reappeared and stayed there.

"That must be it," Flora said excitedly.

They hurried over to the orb, careful not to get too close to the edges, lest they fall in like Bloom, and carefully kneeled down and leaned over the crack. Then they started to call out to their friend.

Down in the chasm, it was the calling of her name that finally woke Bloom up. It only took her a moment to remember what had happened, the monster attacking, falling into the chasm, falling unconscious before she shit the ground. Groaning, she pushed the snow that had piled up on her off, and rolled over, slowly pushing herself upright. She was sore to all hell, but as she slowly tested the mobility of each of her limbs, she decided that nothing was broken. Apparently her snowsuit wasn't just to keep her warm.

The sound of her name drew her attention upwards and she was beyond glad to recognise her friend's voices.

"Hi guys! I'm okay!"

Distantly, through the shards of ice lining the chasm, Bloom thought she could just see her friend's worried faces peering over the edge of the chasm.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Flora called, sweet voice sounding worried.

"Yeah! I'm a bit sore, but I don't think anything is seriously hurt."

"That's good, Bloom." It was Tecna this time. "Now, what can you see?"

What could she see? Bloom wrinkled her nose in confusion but obediently looked around her, expecting to see a whole lot of ice, and some rock maybe if she was lucky. But that wasn't the case at all she realised quickly. The shape of the space was clearly square-like and long, with a wooden floor, two walls, and even a roof. Bloom gaped at it, swiveling in every which way. She'd fallen right into a hallway.

"Bloom?" someone called when she didn't immediately answer, and she shook her head wordlessly, struggling for the words.

"Guys, I- I think I've fallen into a hallway."

Up on the surface Stella, Musa, and Flora all gasped and goggled at each other, trying to work out what could have possibly been built so far underground. But Tecna was too busy pulling herself up onto her knees and turning to peer into the darkness.

"There!" she cried, pointing furiously with a gloved hand at a large icy shape not too far away. "And over there," she added, pointing at another similar shape on the other side of the chasm. She turned to Stella. "Don't you think they look like towers?!"

Stella frowned and cocked her head considering their shape. "Bit short don't you think?"

"No," Tecna said. "The very top of towers. And there between them, that's the roof of the main building."

"Wait," Musa said slowly.

"You really think?" Stella added, beginning to catch on.

"You're saying we actually found it?" said Flora.

"The Sparx Royal Palace," Tecna said, satisfaction making her smile, even though it hurt her cold lips.

"Oh," Musa said.

"My," Flora continued.

"God," Stella finished.

They crawled away from the chasm and joined Tecna to stare at the icy structures, forgetting for a moment that Bloom was still in the chasm and waiting for their response. They were too busy marveling at the fact that they were actually standing on top of the castle.

"This is impossible."

"Not necessarily," Tecna said absently. "Over 15 years under a dark curse, constant snow, it's possible it could have built up to this level."

"Is it safe? This much snow must weigh a lot."

Tecna shrugged. "The hallway Bloom's is still standing, and castles were built to last, I think if it hasn't collapsed yet it should be fine."

"Guys?!"

"Oh gosh, Bloom!" Flora hurried back over to the chasm to relay what they had realised to Bloom.

Meanwhile Tecna, and Musa turned to Stella.

"Do you think you can melt it?" Musa asked her. "That's a lot of ice."

For a second Stella didn't look like her usual confident self, and could only stare at the mounds of ice below their feet wordlessly. Then she shook her head a little, blonde pigtails waving side to side, and squared her shoulders, shooting her friends her usual sunny smile.

"Absolutely. It just needs a little _Sun Power!"_

She flicked her ring into the air and it transformed into her sceptre, which she caught and swung around a few times to warm up. Then she rolled her shoulders a few times, and cracked her fingers. Musa and Tecna exchanged glances, and if it was any other time they probably would have laughed at her antics, but she _was_ about to attempt a herculean task and they figured she was entitled to her dramatics.

"Bloom's going to explore a little bit," Flora said, coming back up to them. "She won't go far, just wants to see if the hallway goes anywhere."

Stella didn't seem to hear her, focussed on her task as she was, and held up her sceptre, a large beam of sunlight bursting from the centre, and hitting one of the towers head on. The effect was instantaneous and despite the snow still falling around them, the ice from the tower immediately began to melt. She continued like that for quite some time, alternating between long streams of sunlight and short burst, slowly backing them up as the snow beneath their feet began to melt and reveal more of the castle.

"Defrosting castles is like dressing for winter weather," she explained as she took a short break. "You have to do it in layers."

"I must say I'm surprised," Tecna commented. "You're very good at this, I didn't think Solaria got this cold."

"It's true, Solarian winters are infrequent and we never get snow. But we have a royal residence on Ciethea, the Solarian moon, and it gets pretty icy up there. But it looks like this one might be a little tough for me."

"You got this girl," Musa chanted, jumping from side to side, either out of enthusiasm, or to stave off the cold. "You're nearly there!"

Indeed, a lot more of the front half of the castle was visible now, they could actually see most of the foundation and the more they unearthed it, the more it began to loom over them. Stella let out a quiet grunt and lifted her sceptre again.

"Here let me help," Tecna broke in, raising her hand where green magic burst from her palms. She directed it towards Stella, where it quickly formed a neon green dome of interwoven strands of magic around her. Stella quickly directed her scepter and immediately large, powerful bursts of sunlight started blasting from it. "This _Power Squared_ function will multiply your power by itself."

"Very clever, Tecna," Flora said approvingly.

"Now, aren't you glad we took that mathematics and magic honours workshop together?"

Stella glanced at her with a frown. "I did that? Doesn't sound like me."

"Yeah, you did. But it was early, and you slept a lot in class."

Stella shook her head, and laughed. "Now that sounds more like me."

The girls laughed, before focussing back on their task.

* * *

In the castle hallway, Bloom actually found herself much warmer than on the surface, warm enough to tug her parka hood and goggles off. Ice occasionally dripped from the ceiling but otherwise it was completely dry, touched only by a thick layer of dust, cobwebs, and general decay. She trailed a hand along the elaborately carved walls, thinking this was it, this was supposed to be the place where she grew up, this was supposed to be her home.

She followed the hallway around a corner where it opened up into a larger room but stopped dead in her tracks as an unearthly voice that moaned from out of the shadows. Bloom swallowed down a terrified scream and tried to listen for more sounds over the thudding of her heart as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the dim room.

Barely daring to breathe as she stood there, Bloom had to wonder if this is where it was all going to end. If everything she had been through had been leading her here, back to the place where she'd been born, where she'd lost her family, where she'd lost her everything. Maybe it would be closing the circle for it all to end here. But no, Bloom thought, hands clenching into fists. If something was out there to get her, then she wasn't going to go down without a fight, she'd punch, and she'd kick, and she'd scream, and show it exactly what she was made of. She lifted her fists, slid her feet into the defensive stance Lysippe had taught her, and waited.

Which made it really anticlimactic when her eyes finally adjusted and she realised there was no one else in the room with her, aside from a whole bunch of broken furniture.

"Great," she muttered, stalking forward and swiping her hands through cobwebs in her way. "That's just great, apparently now I'm going crazy."

" _Awww, what a cute baby."_

"Fuck!" Bloom spun around and swung at the air, only managing to displace a spider from it's web rather than actually hitting whatever it was that was sharing the room with her. "Who the fuck is out there?"

She tried peering through the room, which was getting steadily lighter as ice was melted from the windows, but she still couldn't see what was stalking her. Then she heard the sound of a baby crying, but it sounded so far off, at least a couple of rooms away, that Bloom figured whatever it was had to be moving around. Now the smart thing to do would have been to head right back to her hallway and see how her friends were doing with melting the ice, but the voices had made Bloom curious, and if they hadn't hurt her yet, then she thought she was safe enough to see what they meant.

So she followed the sound of the baby crying through the rooms of the palace until she entered a dusty nursery. Her nursery, she was willing to bet; the grandeur of the furniture was apparent even broken and hidden under layers of grime as they were. The sound of the baby crying cut off abruptly.

" _Shhh, I'm here, Princess,"_ a new voice said. " _Mumma's here. Mumma's got you."_

Bloom's breath caught in her throat. That voice, that was her mother's voice.

" _I wish we didn't have to leave her. Either of them."_ Without needing confirmation, Bloom knew that had to be her father's voice.

" _Relax, guys,"_ a familiar voice, sounding much younger than Bloom had ever heard it, joined the mix. Daphne. " _I'll take good care of her, and then you'll be back, and we'll be a family again."_

Bloom blinked away tears, and left the room before they could fall. She wandered through the halls, voices, ghosts, or memories, whatever they were, whispering to her as she passed.

" _Dinner is served, everyone, please, be seated,"_ an aristocratic voice announced as she passed a long overturned table and a pile of broken crockery.

" _What gown should I wear to dinner tonight?"_ a young voice asked excitedly as she moved through a bedroom. " _Aunt Miriam says she has a big announcement!"_

" _That's exciting,"_ another, this one male, added. " _We need some good news with the war going so badly."_

She walked through an opulent receiving room, the grand thrones on the podium having long since lost their shine. " _Lady Elena has arrived, Your Majesties"_

Bloom pushed open another door, and gave a gasp of quiet delight as she gazed up at a gorgeous glass dome that encased the room. Judging by the large double doors at the front of the room, she guessed she'd made it to the front of the castle and this was the entrance hall. Before she could get a better look a great shudder as the castle trembled, and then a soft noise, almost a sigh, that Bloom recognised as the sound of the last of the ice sliding free. She padded carefully over to the doors, and pushed them open to find her friends standing there.

"Bloom!" Flora came running over to hug her, with Musa and Tecna right on her heels. Stella followed at a much slower pace, looking pale beneath her hood, which had reappeared to replace her fairy wings and sparkly clothes.

"Hey," Bloom said when she reached them. "Are you okay?"

Stella conjured up a wan smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just overdid it a bit. I'll be right in a little while."

Bloom hugged each of them, more glad than she realised that she was no longer alone in the creepy, empty castle. Then she lead them further into the castle and began showing them around the parts she'd already discovered.

"They really destroyed everything, didn't they?" Flora said sadly, running a hand over an empty frame on the wall where the art had been burnt away.

"Lives weren't just lost that day," Tecna said, carefully stepping over an expensive looking vase that lay fractured on the ground. "An entire culture was lost, and all their history."

Bloom tried to swallow but it was tough around the lump in her throat.

"Hey," Musa said quietly, touching a hand to her elbow. "You'll get it back one day. And maybe it won't be the same, but you'll give them a new chapter of history."

"You really think?"

"Yeah, I do. You already care about Sparx so much, and you've only known for what? A week? You're going to do great things one day, B, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks, Musa."

"Hey, guys!" they heard Tecna call out from around a corner. "I think we found something."

Stella, Musa, and Bloom followed them around to find Tecna and Flora peering down a dark set of stairs they had found behind a closed door. Oddly enough the stairs looked mostly intact, even though every other set they had come across so far had been reduced to splinters.

"It looks like there was a protected area underneath the castle."

Without needing to be asked Stella conjured a small ball of light and ventured down the staircase, which didn't so much as creak beneath her weight. The others quickly followed her, and soon enough they arrived down in a dim, dusty hallway.

"I really hope nothing's lurking down here," Musa said, shivering slightly.

Tecna's keen eyes scanned the walls and floors. "There are no footsteps in the dust on the ground, and the spiderwebs look undisturbed. I would hazard a guess that nothing has been down here since the attack."

Bloom hesitated, unsure whether she should tell them about the voice changing creature she was sure was hanging out upstairs. Then she figured it wasn't a good time to be keeping things to herself. "I heard voices before."

"Voices?" Musa asked sharply.

"All different voices, and sounds, like a baby crying, and then… someone, a mother hushing her."

"There are creatures who can mimic the human voice," Tecna said slowly.

But Stella was looking at Bloom strangely, like she knew she hadn't told them everything. "And sometimes when a place is undisturbed for a long time voices from the past can become trapped."

Now they were all looking at Bloom, who shifted uncomfortably under their heavy scrutiny. "I did think they could have been my family," she admitted reluctantly.

"It happens more often than you'd think," Tecna said quickly, obviously trying to comfort Bloom. "They're not actually here with us, they can't hurt us."

Then a voice spoke from the shadows further down the hallway.

" _ **Bloom!"**_

Several things happened at once; Bloom jumped about a foot in the air, Musa swore loudly and thoroughly, Tecna gasped, Stella shrieked, and Flora screamed, "That did not sound like a bloody trapped voice!"

It was the closest any of them had heard Flora come to actually swearing that it nearly shocked them as much as the voice.

" _Bloom,"_ came the voice again and they immediately began scrambling backwards.

"Yeah, that is so not what I heard before," Bloom said, voice shaking. The other voices had sounded more echoey, and further away, it wasn't hard to believe that those were from the past. But this voice, whoever it belonged to, left no question to whether it's owner was in the hallway with them.

" _Bloom!"_ The voice sounded more insistent now and despite herself Bloom felt herself slowing, until a hand reached out and grabbed her, yanking her backwards again. They were almost back to the stairs when light flooded the hallway, illuminating even the darkest shadows that Stella's light had been unable to reach. It was so bright that all of them, even Stella, had to squint against it's harsh glare, but they didn't look away. And it was good they didn't because out of that light, stepped a woman.

"Oh my goodness-"

"This can't be-"

"Is that-?"

"Daphne" Bloom said simply, a sad smile on her face, an expression mirrored on her sister's face.

It was both strange and not to see Daphne out of her lake and in the middle of the castle, as though even trapped at the lake as she was, she still somehow belonged here. Her feet didn't touch the floor, instead hovering several inches above it, and her long gown, and long blonde hair swirled around her, as if she was still in the water. Bloom broke away from her friends and approached her sister slowly. Daphne reached out, as if to touch her face, but stopped before she could make contact, and although Bloom could feel the heat from her closeness, they both knew that if Daphne tried to come any closer she would pass straight through Bloom.

"Welcome, Bloom," Daphne said simply, hand falling to rest at her side. "I have waited a long time for this day."

"Wow, that is a great outfit," Bloom heard Stella whisper behind her.

Daphne dragged her eyes away to look over Bloom's shoulder, and her smile grew fractionally as she inclined her head. "And welcome to you all as well. It is lovely to finally meet the friends Bloom holds so close to her heart."

The girls mumbled back their own greetings.

Daphne's eyes returned to Bloom. "I'm afraid we must hurry, I don't have much time." Without another word, she spun around and begun gliding quickly down the hallway, leaving the girls no choice but to jog to keep up with her.

"I don't understand," Bloom panted, as Daphne lead them around corners, and through doorways. "How is it you're here? I thought you were tied to Lake Roccaluce?"

"I am," Daphne agreed. "But I can leave the lake, but only for short periods of time. I can already feel my power draining, and it will only get worse the longer I stay here."

"What will happen if you stay here too long?"

Finally, Daphne slowed to a stop, and turned to look at her sister. "I'm afraid I don't know. So much of this I've had to learn just by doing, maybe I'll be forced back, or maybe I'll simply disappear. So it's best I tell you all that I can, before it comes to that."

It was clear her sister was kindly but firmly telling her to be quiet so she could talk, so Bloom did just that.

"Bloom, I know the Dragon Fire was stolen from you. I'm afraid I foresaw it, but despite my best efforts to stop it the Trix were still successful."

Despite her resolve to let Daphne speak, Bloom couldn't help herself but cry, "Then why didn't you just tell me?!"

Daphne's gaze was patient. "Because I couldn't, Bloom. Laws govern the nymphs just as they do you. Except ours are more innate. I could guide your path but I could not force it. If I did, terrible things would happen."

Daphne waited a beat, until Bloom nodded reluctantly, before continuing. "I know the Dragon Fire was stolen and you were right to come here to look for it. But you must know that the Flame is not here on Sparx." Bloom must have looked like she was on the verge of interrupting because Daphne continuined quickly. "But there is something here that will help you."

Daphne gestured to doors behind her, and they swung open of their own accord, revealing the most amazing room Bloom had ever seen in her life. Judging by the gasps she could heard from her friends behind her, she wasn't the only one.

"Welcome to the Royal Treasure room," Daphne said, stepping aside to let them enter. "Everything in it belongs to you, Princess."

At first glance it looked like the room was entirely made of gold. When Bloom looked closer the realised that wasn't exactly true, but it was a close thing. The more she looked, the more she seemed to notice. Countless, larger than life statues stood guard at the walls, large trunks sat overflowing with gold vlosis, then there were chests with necklaces, bracelets, and rings spilling out, piles of precious gems, tables stacked high with books, artworks stacked and crammed wherever there was room.

"This is quite astonishing," Tecna gasped, already paging through a huge slab of a book, closer to resembling a paving stone than a book.

"Now this is what I call bling," Musa said, carefully tracing a finger along a solid gold bracelet studded with emeralds.

"Definitely my kind of room," Stella added. "I know who I'm calling next time I'm strapped for cash."

The girls chuckled but Bloom was too busy staring at Daphne. "How?" It was all she asked, but her sister understood.

"A contingency plan. When the war first broke out, for if we lost. Most people didn't want to even consider about the possibility of defeat, but Mum and Dad were firm; if they were gone, they wanted something left behind for the survivors. Only someone of Sparxian blood, or at least very closely affiliated with Sparx would ever be able to find this place."

"We must have lost so much," Bloom whispered.

Though her eyes were sad as she looked around the room, Daphne looked at every piece, every statue, every book, every portrait, as if it were priceless. "We did okay," she said finally. She glided to the front of the room, where, on a raised dais, sat four elaborately carved pedestals. "Come, Bloom."

Though she already had a feeling, as Bloom mounted the stairs, she asked, "What is it?"

Daphne didn't answer, just gestured to the pedestal on the very left, the only one that wasn't empty, where upon a delicate velvet pillow sat a tiara. Bloom recognised it straight away, the almost blue hue of the silver, the intricate curves of metal that held opulent rubies in all shades of red.

"The Ember Tiara," she breathed, reaching out a gloved hand but stopping just short of touching it.

"Yes."

"Made for the youngest Princess of Sparx," she recalled. "Made for me."

When she looked up at Daphne, she thought she saw glistening tears streaming down her sister's cheeks, as she said again, more quietly now, "Put it on. It will show you everything."

Bloom's breath caught in her throat, but she obeyed, and feeling terrified she was going to drop it or break it, she lifted the crown and settled it carefully on her head. The room disappeared around her, and Daphne's voice spoke from the darkness.

" _When you were born, despite the war, Sparx was still filled with pure magic."_

It was like a bird's-eye view of Sparx, or maybe a fairy-eye view Bloom corrected in her head, gliding over what she instinctively knew to be Eleysghen. The city was bursting with colour, and life, with people milling around the crowded streets, the sound of cheerful chatter and delighted laughter audible even from the sky. Everything seemed richer than Bloom had ever seen before, the grass was greener, the sky was bluer, the people happier. It was easy to see that Sparx has been blessed by the Great Dragon's presence.

" _But then while our parents were away, battling the Ancestral Witches greatest general, the coven launched a sneak attack. They destroyed everything."_

The laughter turned to screams and the sky turned grey as fire ravaged Eleysghen. Bloom felt herself drifting away, powerless to stop it, and before she knew it she was at the Sparx Royal Palace, where Daphne, and a boy Bloom didn't recognise stood watching the attack with their hands over their mouths, Daphne trying to soothe a crying baby, Bloom herself. It was even more clear in the vision how young Daphne had been, a young teenage girl, tasked with protecting her baby sister.

She watched as Daphne abruptly shoved the baby at the boy, despite his clear protests, and then when he finally took her, Daphne ran off. Even though Bloom couldn't hear what he was saying, it was clear the boy was yelling after Daphne, but she never looked back once.

" _I knew all would be lost soon if I didn't do something. I didn't know it but our parents were racing back with their armies, but I don't think it would have made much of a difference."_ There was a long pause, where Daphne didn't speak, and Bloom just watched the boy rock the baby version of herself back and forth. When Daphne finally continued, she sounded strained, as if every word was painful. " _There was one last thing I could think to do, I- I wanted- but it didn't work. Something went wrong. And in my last moments, I knew all was lost, but I still had a chance to save you, only you."_

The vision changed, and Bloom saw Daphne, clearly already in her nymph form gliding desperately through the halls of the castle, until she reached Bloom's nursery, where she snatched the baby up from the cradle. Daphne, looking terrified, glanced over her shoulder out the open window, and Bloom finally saw what Daphne did, the three Ancestral Witches flying towards the castle.

" _Our family was dying, I was already gone, the witches were going to take you, destroy Sparx as they left, and then when you had the entire Flame, take it from you. So I took you to the last place anyone would look for a magical being; I delivered you to Earth."_

Bloom watched as Daphne tucked her to her chest and stepped through a portal, and right into a familiar looking industrial fire. Daphne dropped a kiss to the baby's forehead, and placed her ever so gently onto the ground, a protective bubble appearing around the newborn. Then she stepped back into the smoke to wait.

" _It was the place where you destiny was waiting. A destiny that would nurture and care for you."_

As if summoned by her words, Mike stumbled into view, scooping up baby Bloom and hurrying off with her.

" _A destiny that would prepare you to one day return to Sparx to reclaim your throne."_

Daphne watched them go, with a slight, heartbroken smile, and then vanished.

The Treasure Room reappeared around Bloom, and she wasn't surprised to feel tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh, angel…" Daphne whispered.

"I just can't believe this. Everyone gave us so much to protect me, to save the Dragon Fire. And I completely messed it all up."

A heart wrenching sob ripped from her as she sunk to her knees on the dais, and her friends moved automatically to go comfort her. But of all people it was Flora who held them back with a shake of her head; she seemed to understand that this was a moment Bloom needed to share with her sister. Daphne kneeled down beside her, sitting as close as she could without passing through Bloom.

"Please don't cry, it's not your fault. You did what you could."

Bloom sobbed and shook her head. "All this happened so I could protect the Dragon Fire, our family's legacy. It was my responsibility, and I failed you all. I let the witches take it! I didn't protect it at all. Tell me what to do Daphne, I'll do whatever it takes."

A shudder passed through Daphne, and for a heartstopping moment she disappeared, only to reappear again a moment later.

"I don't have much time, Bloom. My power is waning, I need to get back to my lake while I'm still able." She reached for Bloom, letting out a frustrated noise when she remembered she couldn't, sounding for the first time like the young fairy she was before she was forced into her nymph form. "I can't tell you how or when you'll get the Dragon Fire back, Bloom, but it will happen." Another shudder passed through Daphne and she grimaced. "The Flame belongs to you, it is your destiny to have it. Look for it and you will have it." Daphne's form was now flickering in and out of sight rapidly. "I love you, Kaida, so so much, and I am so proud of you." And with those words, Daphne disappeared completely, and this time she didn't come back.

Thinking it might be better for their friend, the girls helped a still upset Bloom to her feet and lead her back up the stairs, out through the palace, and the front doors to sit her down in the snow, hoping the cold would shock her back to her senses. All the while they talked idly about Daphne and what she had revealed, and more accurately what she hadn't revealed.

"So, we still don't actually know where the Dragon Fire is?" Stella was asking.

"Tecna," Bloom said suddenly, capturing all their attention even though her focus was lasered in on Tecna. "What does Kaida mean?"

Tecna smiled sadly. "It's a Sparxian nickname. It means Little Dragon. It's what the Royal Family, and a lot of the history books called you, because you know, you didn't have an official name yet.

"Little Dragon," Bloom repeated. She nodded slowly to herself, and then with more purpose before determinedly pushing herself up from her snow, brushing off the flakes that had collected on her while she sat, and squaring her shoulders. Her friends looked at her, questions in their eyes. "Let's go find this fucking Flame."

A cheer rose up between the other four and they quickly converged on her for a group hug.

"So," Stella said conversationally into their little huddle. "About all that gorgeous jewellery you're hoarding downstairs."

Bloom grinned. "How about we talk about it after we work out how to defeat the Trix?"

"I'm going to hold you to that," Stella said with a wink.

"Are we ready to head home?" Tecna asked, pulling out the device Palladium gave them, thumb poised over the button that would send the signal back to Alfea.

"Yeah, let's get out of here, before I lose feeling in all my toes."

But before Tecna could push the button, a loud growl caught their attention, and they looked up to find the humongous, white monster was back again, looking angrier than ever. And what was more, this time he wasn't alone.

"Tec," Bloom said quietly, never taking her eyes away from the monster and the hoard surrounding him. "What exactly are those things?"

"Uhhh," Tecna said nervously, shifting from foot to foot. "They're called ice crabs."

The ice crabs sure lived up to their names. Shaped like oversized crabs, made entirely of ice, they easily reached the girls waist, and each had a pair of sharp looking claws, which they clicked menacingly at them.

"They don't look like they like fairies very much," Flora said, inching backwards.

"Oh they don't," Stella said airily. "One nip and our bodies will start freezing from the inside out."

The girls glared at their blonde friend, wondering how she could be so calm when they were facing down a literal horde of creatures who could kill them with a single nip of their razor sharp claws. But Stella was looking almost comfortable; the exhaustion had faded from her face, and she already had her scepter in hand and was twirling it lazily between her fingers.

"What?" she asked, finally noticing the looks. "I happen to have a great recipe for crab cakes."

The wicked grin she sent them was infectious and soon enough, all five girls were smiling, as their snowsuits disappeared with a flash to be replaced with their glittering fairy wings and outfits. Only Bloom remained on the ground in her parka, but she balled up her fists in anticipation.

It was as if their transforming signaled something in the crabs because they immediately began to scuttle towards the girls, while the monster settled onto it's haunches, content to sit and wait, for now. Meanwhile the girls shot into the air, while Bloom inched back towards the doors, ready to duck inside in case the crabs got too close.

"Alright," Flora called from the air. "So, what's the recipe?"

"You can either deep-fry or boil them, but first you need to crush them."

"I've got this," Musa declared, zooming forward with her hands outstretched. Purple sonic waves burst from her hands, catching the first few lines of crabs and lifting them into the air, vibrating them until cracks began to form in their ice and they exploded into tiny shards.

"How about this?" Flora reached into the pocket of her skirt and withdrew a handful of seeds, which she quickly tossed into the air. Despite the icy ground the seeds quickly took root and thick vines, the size of tree trunks sprouted from the ground and began wrapping around the nearest crabs.

"Pterodactyl vine," Flora told them with a sweet smile. "They'll pulverise those crabs." And pulverise them they did, their ice was no match for the power of the vines, and soon enough the sound of cracking ice could be heard from all over the swarm.

"They're ready for you, Stella, time to turn up the heat!"

Stella launched herself through the air, and landed in a crouch on the ground, slamming the butt of her scepter into the ground, as a large sphere of sunlight burst from her. It quickly overwhelmed the crabs that hadn't been caught by Musa's sonic blasts or Flora's vines, and they melted away to puddles of water.

"Nice going, girls!" Bloom cheered from the ground.

But their celebrations turned to groans as they realised the crabs they'd destroyed had only been wave one of the attack, and more were quickly on their way.

"Alright, my turn now," Tecna declared. "I'm going to try a digital deletion."

She took off flying towards the crabs, ducking and weaving swiftly between them, tagging them with small digital chips, which latched onto their icy exteriors and were impossible to shake off. Tecna had never been more grateful for Faylinn's flying lessons than when she was darting between the crabs, zig-zagging out of the way of their vicious claws. Once she had attached the chips, she flew back into the air, and over to the girls.

"And now we press delete." On her words, the chips abruptly began to beep shrilly, before exploding taking the crabs with them. "And off they go to the great recycling bin in the sky."

"Look, there's more of them."

Although Tecna's digital deletion had easily taken out over a dozen of the crabs, the crowd of them had continued to grow, pressing closer and closer until the girls were backed up against the castle doors.

"There are far too many of them to stay out here. Let's go inside, maybe we can use the castle as a cover."

There were no objections, and they wasted no time yanking open the doors and slipping inside. The crabs closest lunged for the doors, but they managed to get the doors shut before any got close. While Bloom and Flora slid a huge wooden bar across the doors, the rest of the girls inspected the entrance hall for defensible positions.

Musa pointed up to the glass dome which had a number of cracks and holes in it. "We could fly up through there and attack from above. They wouldn't be able to reach us. We would just have to be careful not to cut our wings on the glass flying through."

It was as good a plan as any, and so once again leaving Bloom on the ground, the other four fairies took to the air, and zoomed upwards.

"Hey, Musa," Bloom called after them. "Why don't you try a sound barrier?!"

"Good idea."

The girls disappeared through one of the holes in the dome, and came out the top to hover over the front of the castle, where the crabs were gathered below. Musa, following Bloom's advice, conjured up her flute, and brought it to her lips. She played a quick, light tune, and a bright pink, magical barrier immediately formed around the front of the castle, sealing it off from the crabs. The first line of crabs tried to pass through the barrier, but were met with a zapping sounds as they were thrown backwards. Stella used the opportunity to wield her scepter, hitting their stunned forms with beams of sunlight that instantly melted them into puddles.

Between Stella, Flora, and Tecna, they managed to blast the crabs that Musa's shield was zapping, but every crab that she had to hold back was clearly costing her. And it wasn't long before she was starting to go pale, and she had to drop her flute from her mouth and let the shield disappear. And after that it was only a matter of time before the crabs started climbing the castle walls, and slipped through their defenses.

"No!" Tecna cried, as she caught sight of a pair of ice crabs slipping through a hole in the dome and down into the entrance hall where Bloom was waiting, defenceless. Leaving the girls to hold back the wave of the crabs, Tecna dove back inside, crying out when she saw the pair of crabs slowly closing in on a scared, Bloom. Strands of green magic shot from her hands, and wrapped around the crabs, yanking them away, and then wrapping tightly around them until they were crushed into tiny ice fragments.

"Thanks, Tec."

"Don't mention it," Tecna said with a wink. "Just a little technical support."

Outside, Flora eyes the hordes of crabs climbing the wall with dismay. "Hey Musa, you know any jazz?"

"Of course," Musa scoffed, before narrowing her eyes at her friend. "What are you thinking?"

"I have an idea, but Bloom might not like it. It might compromise the integrity of these walls."

Stella grunted, unleashing a wave of sunlight on the crabs. "I think if it's a choice between having to rebuild some walls, and dying because of some ice crabs, it'll be an easy decision."

Flora shrugged and motioned for Musa to start. Musa traded her flute for a saxophone and immediately began to play a slow bluesy number. Flora placed her hand on the nearest parapet, and closed her eyes concentrating hard. Summoning a plant with her magic was much harder than making one grow using seeds, but she'd used all her Pterodactyl Vine seeds in the last attack. It was much slower without the seeds, but the jazz music, which was the vine's favourite, helped things along, and soon enough vines were forcing their way through cracks into the wall. Flora didn't let herself stop until the vines were good, and long, and attacking the crabs, smacking them off the wall, and crushing them into smithereens.

"Oh excellent," she said with a sweet smile even as a crab was flicked off the wall by a vine and fell to the ground where it smashed. "It's working beautifully."

"No amount of music can handle that," Stella said, nodding down to the front doors of the castle where the army of crabs had doubled in size.

"What about a harmonic distortion attack?"

"No!" Stella cried out sharply. "You'd have to get way too close."

It didn't matter regardless, because the monster seemed to abruptly tire of sitting idly by while the ice crabs tormented them, and pushed into a standing position, until it towered over them. The beast stomped forward, not seeming to care about the crabs it was crushing underfoot, and opened it's mouth to unleash an earth shattering roar. The force from it's mouth sent Stella, and Musa crashing through the dome, and into the ground of the entrance hall where Bloom was waiting. Tecna zipped into the air to give Flora some backup, but the monster flung them to the ground with a careless wave of it's massive hand.

Bloom glanced around at her friends, all tired from fighting the crabs and struggling to rise. "I think it's time for plan B."

"What's plan B?"

"For you? Fly! For me? Run!"

The girls didn't need telling twice, especially when the monster began banging on the castle doors, and judging by the groaning of the wood, they weren't going to hold up against him for very long. The girls hurtled down a corridor at random, deciding on the fly to split up with Musa and Tecna turning one way, Stella and Bloom another, and Flora running straight ahead. None of them looked back to see what the crabs or the monster was doing.

Which was why they didn't see when a familiar red and navy blue Red Fountain ship came flying in, using it's blasters to clear an area in front of the castle for it to land. The ramp dropped, and Sky, Brandon, and Timmy came running down it, phanto-weapons already in hand and ready to go. They paused for only a moment to exchange glances at the base of the ramp.

"Let's get 'em, guys," Sky said, and they launched themselves into the waiting throng of ice crabs.

"So, how dangerous are these things anyway," Brandon asked, swinging his broadsword through two of them. Beside him, Sky jumped into the air, swung his sword through one, stabbed another, and jerked it free in time to behead a third. The pieces of ice crab twitched feebly a few times before melting into the snow on the ground.

"They freeze fairies," Timmy said, shooting phanto-bullets through crabs with sharp cracking noises. "I don't suppose we'd fare much better. And I don't suggest we try and find out."

"Yeah, let's not."

* * *

As Musa and Tecna flew along their hallway, it abruptly split in two directions and without needing to confer, they both zipped around a corner each, hoping to ambush the ice crabs they could heard scuttling around behind them. When the ice crabs reached the end they immediately went left after Tecna, leaving Musa to come up behind them with a deadly sub-woofer blast attack.

"Hope you like hip hop music," she muttered, as two massive speakers appeared on the walls. The speakers started blasting music, and the immediate vibrations, sent large cracks running through the crabs until they shattered.

Only a few hallways away, Stella was weidling her scepter with devastating accuracy, blasting any ice crab that came near her or Bloom. But she only had two eyes and one scepter, and even she couldn't be everywhere.

So when a few crabs tried sneaking up on Bloom, the redhead snatched up a piece of wood, looking like it was from a broken hall table that was lying in pieces further down the hallway, and gripped it like she was using a baseball bat back on Earth. It wasn't pretty, and Bloom was just glad the crabs weren't particularly fast, but she held her own against them with the wood, hitting them until they were reduced to a few chunks on the ground.

"Snap," Stella said from behind her, sounding impressed. "Your Earth power's pretty good."

Bloom started to smile, but then she caught sight of the ice crabs that were coming their way. There was a lot more than the two she'd just taken down, and the ice crabs Stella was facing were starting to overwhelm her.

"I don't think Earth power's going to get us out of this one."

Ice crabs coming from two directions, there was only one path free for them to go, and that was back the way they'd come, right back to the entrance hall, where more crabs were no doubt waiting.

They arrived back at the entrance hall, which was nowhere near as over run with crabs as they were expecting. In fact Bloom and Stella could see most of them still outside, but they had no chance to ponder on what was distracting them, because the ice crabs that had been following them were hot on their heels.

Before they had to work out what they were going to do, Flora came zipping in via another corridor. Her eyes darted from where ice crabs had been following her, to where more crabs were about to emerge from the other hallways. Realisation lit up her eyes, and she reached deep into the pockets of her skirt, to withdraw handful of seeds, and raced from doorway to doorway, spreading them. Vines instantly sprouted from the seeds, growing first vertically, and then horizontally to form green, cage doors, barring the crabs from re-entering the entrance hall. Tecna and Musa came barrelling from yet another hallway, before it was sealed by more vines.

But the fix was clearly only temporary; unlike the pterodactyl vines Flora had used earlier, these were much thinner, and didn't look nearly as tough, and it didn't take the crabs long to work out that their sharp claws worked well in cutting the barriers down. It did give the girls time to regroup however, and by the time the crabs had gotten through, they'd formed a circle around Bloom in the center of the hall, magic bubbling at their fingertips, and ready to take them on.

Flora moved first, firing with magic at precise spots right at the crabs feet. From each place where the magic hit the ground, flowers buds appeared, the petals instantly opening up, swallowing a crab down, before closing and disappearing again.

"I love extractor seeds. They take out pests like bad blackheads."

The seeds were good, but could only take out a single crab each, and conjuring them was taxing on Flora's power. Next, Tecna formed a neon green, sphere with her magic, which raced around the room, sucking crabs into it whenever it got close enough. When the sphere was full, Tecna sent it flying over to Musa who hit it with an energy blast, making it explode and showering them with tiny ice shards.

"Good teamwork, girls!" Bloom called.

She was so caught up in what the girls were doing, Stella blasting sunbeams, Flora calling up every plant she could think off, Musa playing bass heavy music, and Tecna digitally deleting crabs one by one, that she didn't even notice the crab sneaking up behind her, until she heard the click of it's claws as it was almost upon her.

A shriek rose in her throat, as she tried to turn around and scramble backwards at the same time. She hit the floor hard, and shrunk back as the ice crab leapt towards her, but all of a sudden someone was leaping between them, weapon nothing but a bright flash of blue, and then came the distinct sound of ice shattering on the ground.

"Sky?!"

The blonde turned to Bloom, concern apparent on his face, and reached down to offer her a hand up.

"Are you okay?"

"What are you doing here?"

Before either of them could get their answer, Sky banded an arm around Bloom's waist and yanked her out of the way, just in time to slide his sword into yet another crab that had been behind her.

"Just thought you might need some backup," Sky said, sounding winded, as he used his long sword to keep the crabs away from them.

He wasn't the only one who had come, Bloom soon realised. She could see Brandon bounding across the hall towards Stella, his green broadsword nothing more than a blur as he cut down crab after crab. And Timmy was there too, having already teamed up with Flora, to shoot bullets into crabs which her plants held still for him.

"Don't worry, girls, we're here now!" Brandon called.

They had been what had kept the crabs outside distracting them, Bloom realised. And she could see why. The guys moved like well-oiled machines, sliding smoothly through the air, and cutting down crabs like it was second nature. In only a few minutes ago, the massive horde of crabs had been reduced to a few straggling crabs, which between the guys and the fairies, they easily dispatched.

Of course just when they finally began to think the battle might be over, the monster, having been scared off by the blasters on the Red Fountain ship, came lumbering back over, with heavy footfalls that made the entire castle shake. For a long moment they could only gape at the face that was peering down at them through the shattered holes of the dome.

Then it punched it's fist through what was left of the glass, forcing them to jump out of the way, and into action. Brandon and Sky immediately leapt towards the massive hand, swinging their swords simultaneously, and although the slashes seemed to land, and blood appeared, the cuts had to feel like paper cuts to the massive monster. Bloom had a bad feeling they were going to have to get much closer to something vital to do any real damage.

The monster withdrew it's hand, and Timmy watched it go, shaking his head in disbelief. "How are we going to beat this guy?"

"Don't worry, boys," Stella simpered, rolling her eyes. "We're here, we'll save you."

Without needing to discuss it, the four fairies shot into the air, and through the open hole where the dome used to be. Meanwhile, Bloom led the guys outside to see what her friends were going to do.

"Let's do this!" Bloom heard Musa shout.

The girls began simple, just taking experimental shots at him, to see what kind of damage it would do. But the energy blasts only seemed to irritate him, so the girls stepped up their game.

"Hey, Tecna!" Bloom yelled out. "Why don't you use the world wide web to limit his movement?"

"Good idea," she called back. "I'll trap him."

While the other three distracted him, Tecna focussed on weaving together strands of magic, and then expanding those into a sphere, similar to the one she had used on the crabs, but much larger, and much, much stronger. Soon enough the monster was trapped in the digital cage, taking experimental swipes at it. But Tecna had purposefully made the cage flexible, so it merely moved with the monster, instead of breaking under it's force.

"Now I'll plant some blast buds," Flora called. She flew in laps around the cage, placing seeds equidistantly around it until the cage was covered in them. "Can you add a little sunlight, Stella?"

"On it," she called back. She raised her scepter high above her head, and an explosion of sunlight burst from it, raining down on the buds which instantly began to bloom.

"Now we just need a loud noise to detonate," Flora said, with a sly grin at Musa.

"Say no more," Musa grinned, and immediately conjured up a song with a heavy bassline, loud drumming, and singing that sounded more like wailing. It didn't take long for Flora's blast buds to start quivering, and then all out trembling before one by one exploding. Tecna's cage managed to contain most of the blast, and when the smoke cleared, it, and the monster that had been trapped inside, had both disappeared.

A cheer rose up between them all, hero and fairy alike, but when the girls touched back down, the smiles faded from their faces, as they all came face to face for the first time since the disastrous exhibition. There was a long awkward silence as they each groped for something to say.

"Is everyone okay?" Brandon finally asked. "Anyone got any serious injuries?"

They all checked over themselves, but aside from a few scratches and scrapes, and Bloom being a bit banged up from her fall, they were all in working order.

"So, listen," Brandon said, scuffing his boot in the snow.

"Thanks for the save, Timmy," Stella sniffed, looking purposefully past Brandon at Timmy who was looking like a deer caught in the headlights. "We really appreciate it," she continued with an acidic glare at Brandon before stomping past him and up into the ship.

"I probably deserved that," Brandon muttered, running a nervous hand through his hair, as the other fairies filed silently passed him.

Only Musa paused, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Yeah," she said grimly. "You did."

They spent the entire take-off procedure in an awkward silence, broken up only when Tecna asked Timmy what exactly they were doing here.

"When Red Fountain fell we evacuated to Alfea, and Saladin and Faragonda selected us to come give you guys some help."

"It was a little hard," Brandon spoke up. "You know, getting here quickly, and flying through all the snow, but we weren't going to give up. You guys are our… friends."

Flora cooed a little, and Bloom raised her eyebrows at Stella across the ship, but the blonde didn't look particularly moved.

Finally they got airborne, and through the snow surrounding Sparx, and were on their way back to Magix. It was hard leaving her palace and her planet behind, especially knowing she was leaving it to the mercy of the elements, but Bloom knew there wasn't any other choice. Leaving Timmy to pilot, Brandon snuck over to slide into the chair beside Stella's, while Sky joined Bloom where she was staring aimlessly out the window at the deep black of space.

Sky hovered by the chair beside Bloom's, clearly wanting to sit, but not wanting to do so without permission. She glanced at him but didn't speak, not in the mood to make things easy for him.

"Bloom, can I talk to you for a second?"

"I guess."

Sky took a seat, looking nervous, and started bouncing his knee immediately.

"This whole thing about really being a prince, but pretending to be Brandon, I-umm, well I just-" Sky was well aware he was rambling but had no idea how to stop, or why it was so much harder to apologise to Bloom, then to Diaspro.

Bloom pressed her lips together, and arched an eyebrow.

"Right, well, I'm just really sorry." When Bloom didn't say anything he continued. "I think I just wanted to see what it would feel like to be a regular guy for once? Before I got married. And I know that's not an excuse, and that it was unfair to both of you, but I just felt so trapped by it all, and then I met you and I had never felt so free in my life. And I know I really messed things up, and I just need you to know how sorry I am."

Bloom looked at him for a long moment, collecting her thoughts. "I get it, parts of it at least. And you're right it wasn't fair to me or Diaspro, especially Diaspro, but I'm assuming this whole marriage thing wasn't your idea in the first place?"

"No," Sky said quickly. "Our parents sprung it on us just before I started at Red Fountain. But I've told them I won't do it. I've called it off."

"I'm glad to hear that," Bloom said with a tired smile. "Neither of you should be forced to do something you don't want to just because you're royal. And as unfair as it is, I can understand why in that situation why you might do something stupid, we're human, we make mistakes." Bloom paused. "What I don't understand is why you thought you had to lie to me. And humiliate me in front of everyone."

"I swear I never meant to humiliate you. I wanted so badly to tell you, in private, not like that but-"

"But you didn't," Bloom finished. "I had to find out in front of everyone, looking like an idiot because I didn't even know who my- who you were."

"It wasn't just you, everyone thought I was Brandon. I swear almost no one knew the truth."

"But I wasn't no one. Or at least I thought I wasn't. I thought there was something between us, something special."

"There is," Sky said vehemently. He made an aborted movement, like he was going to reach for her hand, and Bloom found herself glad when he didn't. "There is something special between us."

"But it all feels like a lie, Sky. I feel like every moment between us was a lie, like I don't really know the first thing about you."

"You do know me, Bloom. Everything I told you about me was true, I'm still the same guy."

"I know what you're hoping I'll say," Bloom said, surprised to find herself near tears again. Sky reached for her again, and this time Bloom was glad when he did slide her hand into hers. "I know you're hoping I'll just forgive you and everything will go back to the way things were. But I don't think I can, not yet anyway. I think I need some more time to think about this, to work out how I feel, and to learn how to trust you again."

Sky looked disappointed, but he nodded and after squeezing her hand once, pulled away, sitting back in his chair. "I hope you know no matter what else I kept from you, I never lied about how I felt about you."

"I know."

"And I really am sorry, Bloom. I never meant to cause you pain."

Bloom smiled sadly. "I know that too."

There was a sudden clatter as Stella, who looked on the verge of tears pushed up from her seat, and stormed into the back room of the ship. Bloom watched her go over her shoulder before glancing over at Brandon; he was on his feet, staring after her with such a pained look on his face, that Bloom felt her heart clench in sympathy for him.

"I should probably go," Bloom said grimly, when she saw Flora, Musa, and Tecna all hurry after Stella. She stood, glanced back at Sky, and then after a moment's hesitation, followed her friends.

* * *

 **I really loved writing this chapter, so I hope you liked reading it as well. There was a couple of scenes that were really important (to me and you guys), mostly Sky talking with Diaspro, and Sky talking to Bloom so I hope hope hope I did them justice for you. I also really loved writing the scene between Daphne and Bloom. I love their relationship so much, so it's been so much fun to write it.**

 **Also this is lowkey really long so apologies.**

 **Thanks again for everyone who always reads, leaves kudos, and leaves a comment, you're all amazing. We're almost at the end, it's been such a ride so thanks to everyone who's come along with me. Lol I'm acting like it's the last chapter, but don't worry still a couple left. I'll see you next time :)**


	23. Chapter 23

The atmosphere on the ship was so awkward by the time they got back to Alfea that nobody could meet each other's eyes, and they were hurrying down the landing ramp the second they touched down. Only Faragonda, Griselda, Saladin, and Codatorta were waiting for them when they disembarked but they could see nearby groups of fairies and specialists who were supposed to be running drills were looking over at them curiously instead.

Faragonda must have noticed them as well because she didn't ask the question that was clear on her face. Instead she just smiled tightly and said, "Welcome home, girls. And boys," she added, with a nod to the guys. "I'm glad you're all back safe. It was a very brave mission."

"I trust you were able to help the girls?" Saladin asked, looking at Sky.

Sky dipped his head slightly in acknowledgement. "They were pretty much fine without us, we just provided a bit of backup."

Bloom blinked, surprised at how Sky had stretched the truth, but when she glanced over at him, he was gazing resolutely at his headmaster. "They helped us out of a few tight spots," she said finally.

Faragonda glanced at the students milling around and gestured for them to follow her into the school. As they walked, they passed a familiar hulking yellow ogre and the girls slowed to a stop, gaping at him.

"What," Stella squawked. "Is he doing here?"

"Oh, he came with us. He's going to fight on our side now," Brandon said.

Stella clenched her jaw, and jerked her head in a nod, the only acknowledgement she seemed willing to give Brandon at the moment, and followed their teachers up the stairs and into Faragonda's office. They all got settled in silence, Griselda summoning enough seats for everyone, and their headmistress taking her usual place behind the desk.

"I take it," she began delicately. "That you were not able to take back the Dragon Fire on Sparx."

"No," Bloom sighed, before telling them all about their trip to Sparx, about Daphne appearing to them, and explaining that the traces of the Dragon Fire had all disappeared from the planet, but that there was still a way.

"Daphne appeared to you?" Griselda asked sharply, glancing at Faragonda. "I thought she was tied to Lake Roccaluce?"

"She is. I assume it took her a great deal of energy to appear to you, and she wasn't able to stay long?"

Bloom nodded.

"And it sounds like she couldn't tell you much either," Codatorta said. "She didn't tell you how to take back the Dragon Fire?"

"No, just that it was still possible."

Faragonda sighed heavily and pressed her fingertips to her temples. "I'm not surprised, Nymphs are bound to watch over the magical world, but are forbidden to interfere directly." Faragonda glanced over at Saladin, and for a long moment the two school heads silently held each other's gaze. "There might be another way," Faragonda said finally.

"There's another way to get the Dragon Fire back and you sent us to Sparx anyway?!"

Faragona's eyes flashed but she didn't comment on Bloom's tone. "It might surprise you but the other way to get the Dragon Fire back is even more dangerous."

Bloom flushed and mumbled a quiet apology. She had had a little talk with herself on her way back from Sparx, and while part of her was still mad that Faragonda had kept so much from her for so long, she had resolved to put it behind her and try to move on. She was sure that Faragonda had been acting in her best interests.

Faragonda dipped her head in acknowledgement of Bloom's apology before continuing, "It's even more dangerous because it would involve someone, or more likely a group of people, going right into Cloud Tower."

A cold chill ran down Bloom's back, and she shivered at the very thought of sneaking into the school for witches while the Trix, armed with the Dragon Fire had control of it.

"What's in Cloud Tower?" Stella asked. "Besides the Trix."

"Professor Griffin," Faragonda said simply. "If we have any hope of defeating the Dragon Fire we need to bring the four ancient species together again. The four ancient species being fairies, heroes, wizards, and witches," Faragonda added at Bloom's blank look.

"But wouldn't we need more wizards?" Musa wanted to know.

"I would be enough to represent the wizards," Saladin broke in. "It would be better if we had more of course, but the importance here lies in the symbolism of bringing us all together again, in a way that's rarely seen anymore."

Bloom sat back in her seat, thinking about a discussion she'd once had with her friends about how uncommon it was for multiple races to live in harmony anymore.

"And," Faragonda continued. "If we reconnected the three points of magic, it might be enough to force the Trix to relinquish the Dragon Fire, Bloom."

"There's still a chance I can get the Dragon Fire back? Then I have to go, I want to go."

"Of course we have to go," Stella said dismissively.

"We'll go too," Sky and Brandon jumped in together.

Faragonda leaned back in her chair, examining Bloom silently. Saladin meanwhile didn't look convinced.

"Shouldn't we pick a group of older students?" he asked, speaking directly to Faragonda. Codatorta looked like he was inclined to agree, but Griselda, surprisingly looked like she was going to side with Bloom and her friends. "Sending them to Sparx was one thing, Bloom had to go to see if she could get the Flame back. But this is different, we wouldn't actually be getting the Flame back until the three of us can confront those witches together. In fact it would be best if we went to Cloud Tower ourselves and put an end to this while we were there."

"But if the Army of Decay attacked while you were gone…" Griselda looked uncharacteristically worried. "The students are fighting hard of course… but even that might not be enough."

Faragonda didn't look like she was listening to either of them, but was staring at Bloom with bright, piercing eyes. Bloom stared right back, hoping to convey everything she was thinking and feeling. She knew she didn't have her powers, but she needed to do this, she _could_ do this. She just hoped Faragonda believed in her as well.

Finally, long after Saladin and Griselda's conversation had trailed off, Faragonda made her decision.

"I think," she began slowly. "That they have more than proven their capabilities."

Relief flooded through Bloom, and she offered her headmistress a small smile, which the elder fairy returned tentatively.

"Of course," Faragonda continued, finally looking to Saladin. "If you wish to choose a different group of students to accompany the pair of them, that is of course your prerogative, Saladin."

Saladin looked to Codatorta, who had been quiet for a long time. His second in command shrugged his massive shoulders. "This mission will be relying on stealth more than anything, and all three of 'em have scored highly in that department before."

Saladin nodded slowly, before turning his eyes on his students. "Timmy, I think your talents are better spent here working with the scouts to try and detect the next wave of attacks." He waited for Timmy to nod before continuing. "Sky, Brandon, you'll go with the girls to Cloud Tower. Bloom will be your squad leader, you'll follow her direct command."

If the boys had a problem with having a fairy for a squad leader they didn't dare show it, and merely barked out a "Yes, Sir," in perfect unison.

"Headmistress," Tecna said timidly. "Before you said 'the pair of them', are we not all going?"

Faragonda's face softened. "Only Bloom and Stella will be going to Cloud Tower."

"But-" Musa burst out, and Faragonda held up a hand to silence her, which she did, flushing an unhappy red.

"I can guess how much you wish you go along, but we need as many fairies as we can get, protecting Alfea until they get back."

"And five is more than enough for a stealth mission," Griselda said briskly.

"Five?" Bloom asked, and even Faragonda seemed curious at the mysterious fifth person who would accompany them.

"I thought the ogre, Knut, would be the perfect companion to lead them through the tunnels, and around the Cloud Tower castle."

"Good thinking, Professor. So it's decided, Bloom, Stella, Brandon, and Sky will go to Cloud Tower, with Knut, if he consents to guide them."

* * *

"This sucks," Musa was saying five minutes later as they trooped back to their room for a quick wash and a change of clothes. For lack of anything better to do, the guys, Brandon and Sky looking particularly meek, were following after them.

"I know," Bloom said soothingly, pretending for all intents and purposes like the guys weren't there. "But they need you here."

"Yeah, but come on, the guys?! They can't protect you like us!"

"Hey-" Brandon broke in, but shut his mouth abruptly after a venomous look from Stella.

"I really need your support in this," Bloom said, ignoring the interruption. "The only way I feel okay with going is knowing you guys will be here to help out."

"Fine," Musa acquiesced, still looking a bit grumpy about it.

"So, what's your plan," Tecna wanted to know.

Bloom shrugged, letting them into the dorm room. No one commented when the boys followed them in or on the sight of Lady snoozing on the lounge cushions. "In through the tunnels, and we'll figure the rest out once we're in."

"You're disregarding the first lesson of tactics," Sky said. "You always need to have a plan."

"Who asked you?" Stella snapped.

"What's the point of us coming along if you aren't going to listen to us," Brandon snapped right back, apparently frustrated with Stella's sniping.

"Who says you have any right to say anything after what you did," Musa spat.

It devolved from there into a childish yelling match, until finally, Timmy, of all people, fed up with all the bickering, yelled at the top of his voice, "Knock it off!"

Surprised that Timmy could even yell that loud, they all fell into silence, blinking at him in shock.

"Look at you guys," he said gesturing between them furiously, frustration coating his voice.

They blinked and actually looked at how they were standing; Bloom, Stella, Musa, Flora, and Tecna on one side, and Brandon and Sky on the other, with Timmy stuck in the middle.

"We're supposed to be a team in this, but all I can see is two sides."

"I don't want to be on a team with-"

Timmy cut Stella off with an aggravated sigh. "Then what are we even doing here? Saladin was just talking about the importance of unity, but Stella you're snapping at Brandon and Sky every two seconds, and Bloom you can't even look at them.

"Yeah, they did a shitty thing, but you aren't the only ones they lied to. And this is bigger than all of that, and if we can't learn how to work together, the Trix are going to walk all over us with their Army of Decay."

Jaw working furiously, Bloom glared at the wall. "I'm not ready to-"

"No one is saying you have to forgive them. But you do have to work with them, and the first step in that is being civil towards each other. Otherwise we're never going to all be friends again and I don't know about you guys, but you're all too important to me to let that happen."

There was a long silence until, surprisingly everyone, Stella broke it by saying, "You're right, Timmy. With the witches coming we need to be able to rely on each other, and we can't very well do that if we're yelling, or ignoring each other. So I'll try my best."

Bloom sighed. "Me too."

"Truce?" Brandon asked.

The girls glanced at each other. "Truce," they agreed.

Timmy looked relieved, and all of a sudden his usual, timid demeanour reappeared as he fidgeted nervously with his glasses. "Should we start getting ready."

The guys hadn't brought any spare clothes with them when they'd fled Red Fountain, but Tecna was able to clean their uniforms with a simple spell as they slowly took their turn in the small bathroom attached to the girl's dorm.

It was Sky's turn for a five minute shower when there was a knock at the door. Stella called for whoever it was to come in, without moving from her inelegant sprawl on one of the armchairs. She sat bolt right up however when the door opened to reveal Diaspro, and every single one of them in the common area, stared at the fairy.

Unperturbed, she tossed her blonde curls, looking more than a little dirty and limp after a few days' battles, and said, "I heard Sky might be here?"

Brandon, who had gone very white, and was glancing quickly from Bloom to Diaspro and back again, half rose from his seat on one of the couches. But Bloom, springing to her feet and already halfway across the room, beat him to it.

"He's in the shower."

Then, before Diaspro could say anything, she inclined her head towards the hallway, and Diaspro lead them back out again, the door shutting behind them with a quiet click. There was a beat of silence, and then-

"Look-"

"I owe you an apology."

Diaspro blinked at Bloom, seemingly struck silent for the first time. "Excuse me?"

"I owe you an apology," Bloom said again, meeting her gaze unflinchingly. "I accused you of being a witch, with frankly no evidence, and then attacked you."

"You wouldn't be the first person to accuse me of being a witch," Diaspro said finally.

Despite herself, Bloom felt herself start to smile. This wasn't going at all how she expected, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

"And," she added a moment later. "For the record, I didn't know that Sky was your fiance, or that he was, you know…"

"A prince? Yeah, I figured. The look on your face when I told you, well, you can't fake that."

"So we're good?" Bloom asked, holding out her hand.

"Yeah, we're good." And they shook on it.

The door burst open, and Sky stepped out, hair still damp from the shower, as he glanced nervously between the two girls. But they both ignored him, eyeing each other; two girls, two princesses, from vastly different backgrounds, as they came to a silent, mutual, middle ground.

Finally Bloom turned back to the door, eyes settling on Sky for only a moment, before flicking away again. "I'll leave you guys to it then."

* * *

Barely an hour after they'd left Faragonda's office, and the girls found themselves back in her company, this time, in a basement storeroom, that Bloom remembered distantly the Trix using to break into their school way back on her first day. It was funny, she thought as she descended the stairs behind Faragonda, that that had been less than a year ago, when it felt like it had been eons since that night.

Faragonda stared grimly at her students, Knut hulking behind them. "Our thoughts go with you on this brave mission. Move with caution, but also with haste, we will not last much longer against the Army of Decay."

And with those bleak words, and one last hug with Musa, Flora, and Tecna, who looked no happy at being left behind than they had been an hour ago, they followed Knut into the tunnel.

* * *

Chin propped up on hand, and elbows leaning against a windowsill in Griffin's office, Darcy watched with intense satisfaction as line after line of monsters marched off down the road that would lead them to Alfea.

"There they go," she said smugly.

Icy appeared over her shoulder, Stormy a moment later, and all three witches had matching grins on their faces.

"Not all of them," Icy ordered, and down below where the Army was congregated, they immediately halted, watching impassively as their fellow soldiers disappeared into the distance.

"Why?" Stormy whined.

"Where's the fun in defeating them now, if we can't mess with them a little bit first?"

Darcy cackled in delight, and turned her eyes back to the dark horizon.

* * *

Life in a cell, Riven had quickly found out, was just as boring as he'd always suspected. With nothing to do, the witches mostly slept all day, or talked quietly to each other, and most of them elected to pretend like he wasn't there at all. And on top of all that he was starving; the witches had tried to cast spells on the moldy bread and dirty water that had appeared in their cells at irregular intervals with disappointing results. Professor Griffin was supervising the brewing of a potion in the corner of their cell - made up of ingredients smuggled to them by students who had managed to stay on the Trix's good side and out of the cells - but the potion smelled so foul Riven wouldn't have asked for some even if he'd thought they'd be willing to share.

So he mostly kept to his corner of the cell, fiddling with his set of lockpicks and the giant bolts that were holding the door closed.

"Can't believe you fell for that… probably gonna get kicked out of school… stuck down here…"

Riven wasn't even aware he was mumbling under his breath until Professor Griffin called his name, and he looked up to find her standing over him, watching his failed attempts with a look of idle interest.

Unlike his life as a prisoner, Professor Griffin wasn't at all like Riven had thought she'd be. The horror stories he'd heard about the Headmistress had had him long convinced that he never wanted to meet her. The professor down in the cells with them however was calm and collected, and while he could definitely see her being terrifying in a classroom, he was glad that he'd gotten stuck down here with her in charge.

"Are you alright?"

Riven sighed, shoved the lock picking set back into his pocket, and stood, brushing off his hands.

"I'm fine. I just-" he broke off, glancing around to make sure none of the other witches in their shared cell were paying attention. But Griffin seemed to understand what he was trying to say regardless.

"Don't be embarrassed. We all underestimated those witches."

"Yeah, well…" Riven's eyes fell on the lock and he seized the subject change. "Do you know any lock picking spells, Professor? With a little bit of help I think I could get this open."

Griffin arched a dark eyebrow, but obediently held out her hands, fingertips already glowing a faint green. " _Houdinis Escapus, Relashio, Alohomorous Unlockus."_

While Griffin murmured the spells, Riven set his picks back to the lock and with the help of the magic it only took a few maneuvers for it to spring open with a quiet click. Riven sat back on his heels, surprised that it had actually worked, and quickly dashed through the open cell door.

"Professor Griffin, it worked!"

He spun around to find Professor Griffin and the other witches watching him sadly.

"What's wrong?"

"I suspected you might be able to break out," Griffin said. "There are strong enchantments on these cells to make it almost impossible for a witch to break out. But of course being a hero, those enchantments don't affect you, which the Trix overlooked when they put you in here with us. They never would have thought a hero smart enough to get out, or imagine that a witch would help you."

"How are you going to get out then?"

A secretive smile slithered its way onto Griffin's lips and she gestured for the students in the cell to step aside to reveal the cauldron full of potion bubbling away merrily in the back corner.

"It's an ancient family recipe. But there's a very good chance that it won't work either."

"I can't just leave you guys here," Riven protested, looking around at all the faces peering out at him from the cells lining the walls.

"You must. Get out of here, Riven, find Faragonda and Saladin, and explain what has happened."

Riven wanted to argue, and probably would have, had a quiet noise coming from the end of the hallway not captured his attention. He slowly looked around to peer into the gloom that the hallway descended into, and determine where and what the noise was coming from.

"What was that?"

Griffin's face drained of what little colour it held. "It's the decay monsters! Run!"

"But-"

"There's nothing you can do for us now! Go!"

Riven yanked his lock pick set free and shoved it at Griffin before swinging the door shut between them. "In case the locks are impervious to spells alone," he explained. Then before Griffin could work out a response he tore off in the opposite direction to the noise which was growing louder, allowing to realise it was a sharp chittering like a hundred little claws striking the cement floor.

Up until this point Riven had been yet to see any of the monsters that made up the Trix's new army; the cells had always been more than enough to keep them contained, so no sentries were needed, nor did they have any reason to come down into the dungeons. From what Riven was hearing behind him as he sprinted up a steep flight of stairs, he didn't really want to get a look at the decay monsters anyway.

As he climbed further and further up the stairs, looking for doors, windows, or literally anywhere he could go except for up, he tried to picture the chapter from his Strategies and Battle Tactics textbook that dealt with what to do when trapped behind enemy lines. Suddenly, the words came to him:

 _Don't panic_

Well, Riven was certainly trying his best, even as he desperately searched the blank walls for any hint of escape.

 _Constantly look for ways to escape._

Check.

 _Take the first course of action that comes into your head. Do not hesitate._

The staircase abruptly leveled out, leaving him no choice but to hurtle along it and hope that it lead somewhere.

"Don't panic," he chanted under his breath. "Look for a way to escape." Riven's knees nearly buckled with relief when he caught sight of dim light up ahead, and he put on a burst of speed to reach it. His thudding heart dropped to his stomach when he stuck his head out the window and caught sight of the sheer drop onto the rocks below. "Take the first course of action that comes into your head."

He glanced back to find a swarm of tiny red bugs approaching with speed, and turned back to the window, feeling sick. Hesitantly he ran a hand along his cape, before fisting it between tight fingers.

"Do not hesitate." He clambered up onto the window sill and tried not to look down. "Do not hesitate," he repeated, and then without giving himself time to think about it, Riven stepped off the windowsill and into nothingness.

* * *

"Thanks for coming up here with me, Tec," Timmy was saying, as he and Tecna stood side by side on the balcony of the flying classroom, scanning the horizon for any sign of the next attack.

"Of course," she replied briskly, eyes never leaving the sky. "Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"Right," Timmy said quietly.

Tecna opened her mouth, wanting to say how weird it felt with just Musa and Flora around without Stella's loudness and Bloom's level headedness to balance them out, how worried she was about Bloom, Stella, Brandon, and Sky, how worried she was that they wouldn't make it back. But the moment of silence stretched too long, and she closed her mouth without saying anything. Instead, heart beating a little quicker in her chest, she let her hand drop to twine with Timmy's at his side.

She thought she saw a smile appear on Timmy's face, but before she could say something about it, or examine more closely the warmth spreading from their entangled fingers, the dark sky grew impossibly darker and her heart sunk in her chest. For flying directly at them from the direction of Cloud Tower was throng of winged rays, terrifying fangs glinting a bright white against the black sky.

They tore apart and Timmy slammed his fist down on a small orb of light hovering on the balcony ledge in front of them; an alert spell cast by Faragonda that when touched would emit loud siren wails that could be heard all over the Alfea campus. The noise was deafening up on the balcony but Timmy and Tecna didn't stay long and raced inside and down the stairs to join the horde of students rushing for the quad, where more students were already lining up in their squads.

Codatorta and Lysippe were leading the companies on the right side of the quad, while Griselda and Palladium commanded the ones to the left. Faylinn was standing on the balcony of her classroom, which had been occupied not too long ago by Timmy and Tecna, ready to lead an aerial assault from above. The rest of the teachers from the two schools were distributed throughout the students ready to help where required while Saladin and Faragonda watched from the front steps of the castle calling the shots, and ready to lead yet more squads of students waiting inside should they be needed.

The teachers braced themselves as the flying rays approached the invisible protective barrier they'd constructed, and the students readied themselves for the inevitable moment the shield came down and the battle began in earnest. The shield held strong for the first few minutes while the rays smashed into it sending them immediately back to slime, but every ray that touched it was like a physical blow to the teachers who were trying to maintain it. After a third of the rays had been disintegrated by it, and the teachers were grimacing with the effort, Faragonda finally signaled for them to let it down.

"Archers!" Faragonda thundered, her voice magically magnified. "Now!"

Lead by the weapons teacher from Red Fountain, the very best of the archery class let loose volley after volley of phanto-arrows which tore through the rays' ranks and rained slime down on the students waiting below. By then the flying rays were no longer their biggest worry and the field troops from the army of decay had reached the Alfea front gate and were smashing their way through it.

Codatorta, Lysippe, Palladium, and Griselda leading their students went running to meet them. The two sides smashed together, phanto-blades and energy blasts of every colour flashing through the dark air and finding their target in the monstrous army of decay. Above Faylinn and the best flyers from the senior class launched themselves into the air at Faragonda's command and began weaving through the taller monsters taking them by surprise with carefully placed offensive spells.

On the right side of the quad under Codatorta and Lysippe's command, Timmy, Musa, Flora, and Tecna all fought side by side. Diaspro had been added to a company under Palladium's command. Timmy had his trusty blaster in hand and was shooting dart after dart into the monsters.

"You know what I read?" he called to Flora, as he dispatched yet another monster.

Flora, who was wielding her vines with practised ease, glanced over.

"Apparently they're allergic to pollen."

Flora cocked her head curiously, before diving out of the way of the gigantic fist attached to the monster she was battling. She wasn't sure how a monster with no discernible facial features could be allergic to pollen but she was willing to try anything. She rolled up onto a knee, brought cupped palms up to her mouth, dragged in a deep breath, and then willing the magic up within her, she blew out into her palms, pollen drifting out between her fingers and flying towards the monster in front of her. Timmy must have been right because the monster immediately began swatting at the air around it, distracted long enough for Timmy to shoot a cluster of darts into it's chest and reduce it to a puddle of slime once more.

Musa and Tecna meanwhile were dispatching monster after monster with energy blasts of corresponding purple and green. They were oblivious however to the gigantic clawed monster that was approaching them from behind until they heard Codatorta's roar.

"Pick on someone your own size!"

The muscled hero dove for the monster, looking small compared to it, despite his own vast size. Monster and hero rolled, Codatorta punching it with bare fists while the monster swiped at him, trying to get the hero between it's claws. Finally Codatorta got the creature pinned and Lysippe dropped from out of nowhere, slamming her favoured spear through the monster's throat. The monster let out an inhuman shriek and dissolved to sludge while Lysippe offered a hand out to help Codatorta up.

"That's another for me."

"I got him all ready for you," Codatorta grumbled. "Really the kill should be mine."

Lysipper flicked slime idly from her weapon and arched a blonde eyebrow. "I took the killing blow, the kill is mine. You'll need to get busy if you want to catch up." She grinned baldly in the face of Codatorta's scowl, chuckling a little when he strode away and threw himself back into the battle.

It was then that Musa and Tecna finally noticed Lysippe's appearance, and that the plain brown tunic and sandals were gone, replaced with the fairy form they'd never seen her transformed into before. Her top half was protected by what looked to be bronze amour, covering her chest and abdomen, but left her arms free to wield her spear. From her waist the outfit fell in a skirt of green tendrils, leaving her room to kick with her legs. She wore no shoes, but footless green sandals that wound their way up her strong calves, and large wings of green and bronze sprouted from her back.

Lysippe threw her spear from hand to hand, watching them calmly. "You girls stay safe." And then at their stunned nods, she too rejoined the fray. Musa shook her head and refocused on the battle, and not a moment too soon, because a giant boulder fisted monster was headed their way.

* * *

"Remember," Bloom said to Knut as they finally neared Cloud Tower. "We don't want the Trix to know we're here, so we want to enter from one of the least populated areas."

Faragonda had cast an anti-detection spell on them when they'd left, but she'd also warned them that they weren't foolproof, nor did they last very long, so the longer they stayed in any one place the greater their chances of getting caught. So they'd decided the best course of action would be to slip in as quietly as possible, especially considering they had no idea how many of the witches the Trix had on their side, and try and find Griffin as quickly as possible.

The tunnel suddenly widened out into a wider room, illuminated only by the torches they held, showing several tunnel offshoots.

"So which one do we want?"

Knut considered them for a long moment. "That one with take us to the Cloud Tower dungeons," he said, pointing to the one straight ahead.

"Professor Griffin is likely in there," Bloom said.

"Yeah, but there's also probably spells and enchantments preventing people from getting in and out," Sky pointed out.

"Right. What about that one, Knut?"

The ogre studied the tunnel to the left that Bloom was pointing to, and suddenly sniffed loudly. "Thought so," he grunted. "That's the one to the kitchens. But," he continued, when the others started for it. "There's also a rec room off that hallway so it's usually pretty busy."

"Which only leaves that one," Brandon said, pointing to the tunnel on the right.

"Yep, to the garbage dump."

"What?!" Stella looked pale at the very thought of entering through the garbage dump.

"It makes sense," Bloom said reluctantly. "There's probably no enchantments because who would want to take anything from the dump."

Stella glared at her, looking like she very much wanted to argue, but surprising everyone, she merely squared her shoulders, and strode towards the left opening. "Fine," she called haughtily, voice echoing slightly around the room. "Let's just do this."

Even if Knut hadn't told them where they were heading, Bloom was fairly certain that she would have guessed anyway from the sheer smell alone. It was a rancid stench that reminded Bloom of the time her family had forgotten to clean out the fridge before going on a holiday, but a million times worse. Stella tried perfume spell after perfume spell to try and mask the odour but it was just too strong and by the time they reached the dump they all had their hands over their noses and were trying not to gag. The dump was a long hall with a low stone ceiling, and multiple chutes and slides which Bloom guessed were what deposited the waste down there.

"We should fan out and start looking for a service entrance," Sky said. "Otherwise we might end up having to climb one of those slides." He casted a distasteful look at the slides, which were covered in slime and what looked to be the remnants of food scraps and other garbage.

"This smell is going to stick to my clothes for weeks," Stella said sadly, and Bloom couldn't help but laugh a little, at the fact that even with the witches attack Stella could still be worried about such things.

Shaking her head and still chuckling under her breath, Bloom split off from Stella to look, while Brandon and Sky went another way. They hadn't made it particularly far however when the smell in the air seemed to get even worse and Bloom couldn't help but cough and gag. She turned back, relieved to see the others hadn't made it out of her sight yet.

"What's that smell?" she called.

Knut let out a grunt of alarm, small eyes going wide. "Beetleroaches! They must tend to the garbage down here."

Bloom didn't know what a beetleroach was, and decided the moment she laid eyes on them that she could have gone her whole life happily not knowing. They had eight legs like a spider, but a long ovular body like a roach, which narrowed to a face with horrific fangs. And to make matters worse, they stood as tall as Knut, who himself stood a few feet above Sky the tallest of their friends. The beetleroaches came scurrying out from behind the mounds of trash, and began to slowly advance on them, separating them from each other. Stella looked under the belly of one to Bloom, who was standing defenceless facing down a beetleroach of her own, but before Stella could fight her way over, Sky came charging through the mud to stand in front of her.

"Just stay behind me, Bloom."

There was no arguments from Bloom on that front, but she did pick up a long piece of wood, which looked like it belonged with a broken desk lying nearby, to be ready in case any of the roaches managed to make it around Sky.

"Make sure you don't touch their saliva. It'll burn your skin," Knut called to them.

"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere near that thing voluntarily." Stella zipped into the air, sceptre in hand.

"Be ready to pinch your nose," Brandon yelled, already wielding a dual bladed phanto-sword. "These things release a 30-mile wide smell when killed."

"Wait!" Bloom yelled. "If we destroy them, the witches will smell them, and might come down to investigate."

"We don't have much choice-" Stella broke off with a scream as one of the roaches suddenly lunged for her. She managed to fight down her initial instinct of just zapping the roach, and instead directed an energy blast at a towering pile of garbage beside her, sending it raining down on the creature. "How are we supposed to get them to leave us alone then?" she demanded, once the roach was buried under a pile of garbage. "Stand here and negotiate?!"

Negotiation was out of the question, however, because the beetleroaches had reached them and they were suddenly forced to defend themselves; Stella was using the garbage around them to her advantage, Knut was wrestling with one, and Brandon was fending his off with his blade without actually touching them. Before Sky and Bloom could decide how they would defend themselves, a beetleroach had snuck up behind them and seized Sky with one of it's legs lifting him into the air and towards it's drooling, fanged mouth.

"No!" Bloom shrieked.

Not caring that she didn't have her powers and was only armed with a piece of wood, Bloom charged in, swinging her weapon with all her might. A little way away, Brandon fought his way free of a beetleroach and came running, holding his phanto-blade like a javelin, poised to throw it. Before he could, a loud bang echoed throughout the dump and they all froze, beetleroaches included. Another crash sounded and they all looked around to see where it was coming from, quickly seeing a figure coming towards them, something in their hands. At the third loud noise the beetleroach gave a full bodied shudder and dropped Sky, turning around and quickly scuttling away, the rest of the roaches right behind it.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," the figure yelled after them. "Get out of here!"

"It that…?" Bloom heard Brandon ask but she couldn't care less who it was, and sprinted for Sky where he was lying face down and unmoving in the mud.

"Sky?"

She grabbed his shoulders and turned him over, relieved when she heard him groan quietly, and quickly set to wiping the mud away from him. Once she got most the majority of the mud off she could see that the injuries weren't as bad as she'd feared; a spot on the shoulder where the roaches saliva had burned away his uniform and left the skin red and sore looking, and he was bleeding a little from his side where the roach had grabbed him.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so," he said, blinking up at her with clear blue eyes. He reached up and wiped a bit of blood away from her forehead where one of the roaches' flailing legs had caught her.

Despite herself, Bloom blushed a little, and she looked determinedly away. "Well good," she said still not looking at him. "I'd hate for you to die while I'm still mad at you."

Brandon appeared on Sky's either side and leaned down with a hand to haul him up. "You'll never guess who just saved our asses."

Bloom turned around and felt her mouth drop open. "Riven?"

The hero, looking more than a little filthy and worse for wear, cracked a grin. "Long time no see, guys."

"What the hell are you doing down here?"

Riven grimaced. "It's a bit of a long story. What are _you_ doing here?"

"Long story," Sky said, narrowing his eyes at Riven. "If you're down here does that mean you're not with Darcy anymore."

"No. They told me all about their plans to raise the army of decay but I wasn't on board with that. They didn't like _that_ very much so they tossed me into the dungeons with about half the Cloud Tower witches. I escaped and made it down here. Now you."

So they explained everything that had happened in Riven's absence, the loss of the Dragon Fire, the attacks on Red Fountain and Alfea, their mission to Sparx, and finally why they were there now, to rescue Griffin and the witch of Cloud Tower. While they talked Stella busied herself looking at everyone's injuries and healing what she could.

"Sounds good to me, I didn't feel right leaving them behind."

"Wait, but then you know where she is. You can take us to her."

"Nah," Riven said, shaking his head. "I didn't exactly leave their in the most conventional method." He told them about the steep staircase he'd been forced to climb, and then the doorless hallway that had ended in only a window. "I guess you had to go the other way to get back to the castle, and the way I went was made to be a trap for anyone who escaped."

"But what did you do then?" Stella asked.

"Well, like we learned in Strategies and Battle class, you just have to do whatever comes into your head right. And I was faced with a window, and a drop, and what came into my head was to jump."

"But how did you know you'd be safe?"

"Oh I didn't, trust me. But it was either jumping or facing those creatures with only a limited space and one sword. So I just did it. Luckily I remembered how to use my cape for aerodynamic gliding from Survival 101 in freshman year, and I managed to slow my fall. Pretty sure I still fractured something in my arm." He stretched his left arm out with a hiss. "Well after landing I was pretty out of it, and I was pretty sure I'd set off a bunch of alarm spells so I scampered in here to hide out while things died down out there. Worked out that the Beetleroaches hated loud noises so that kept them away and was just about to make a break for it when I found you guys."

"I've known you since the first day of orientation," Sky said, shaking his head even as a small smile appeared on his face. "And I have never once seen you taking notes. And you're probably the best in our year."

"Oh man," Brandon said with a laugh. "We are going to top every assignment next year. That is," he continued smile fading. "If you still want to be in a group with us?"

"Yeah look about that, I owe you an apology. All of you," he added glancing at Stella and Bloom. "I know I can be a bit of a pain but I took things too far this year. And even though I didn't know what Darcy and the Trix were up to I didn't stop them either, and that's come down on all of you, especially you Bloom. I had no idea they were going after your powers like that, but I hope you know if I'd known I would have done my best to stop them."

"Hey," Sky said gently. "We all did stupid things this year. I forgive you, and I hope you can forgive me for lying to you."

"Yeah, me too," Brandon added.

Riven nodded. "It's all good. Bloom, Stella?"

The girls exchanged glances, and Bloom shrugged. "Apparently we're big on forgiveness these days."

Riven smiled, relieved. "So, what's the plan now? Because I'd really love to get out of this place."

"Finally," Stella cried, proving she hadn't for a second forgotten where she was standing. "Now, Bloom I've mended the cut on your forehead. Sky, I've done what I can to reduce the burn, and stop the bleeding, but it'll probably feel a little tender." She glanced at Sky and Riven apologetically. "We don't do many medical spells until next year, so I can't do much more for you Sky, or to fix your arm Riven."

"You did good, Stella," Sky assured her. "Thank you."

"Alright, then I say we get out of here and go find Professor Griffin," Brandon said. "Sound good?"

Stella's enthusiastic whoop was answer enough for everyone.

* * *

Musa glanced around the quad, shivering slightly at the eerie atmosphere that was thick in the air. It wasn't that it was empty, in fact it was far from it, but despite the copious number of fairies, heroes, and teachers milling around, it was nearly completely silent. The Army of Decay had battered them for nearly two hours before abruptly pulling back to Cloud Tower, confirming everyone's worst fears; that the Trix wanted to play with them a bit before crushing them completely.

"We shouldn't just be sitting here," Musa muttered to Flora and Tecna who were sitting beside her on the grass.

Flora didn't look up from her arm where she was inspecting a long cut. Musa watched as she tried to heal it, but her friend was so drained of energy that the cut looked barely changed, and Flora ended up just pulling the bandage back into place and flopping down onto her back, narrowly avoiding a crater in the grass where an energy blast had gone astray.

"Why exactly shouldn't we be sitting here?" Tecna wanted to know.

"The Army of Decay could be recharging as we speak. We should muster our forces and attack them when they're least expecting it, get to the Trix and stop them right now."

"Isn't that what Bloom and Stella are doing? Getting Professor Griffin so she, Faragonda, and Saladin have a chance to defeat them?"

Musa grumbled under her breath, apparently still not convinced that sending their friends into Cloud Tower had been the best plan. Flora's sudden mournful sigh caught her attention however and Musa kicked her foot, momentarily distracted.

"What's up, Flo? You look like you're off with the pixies."

Flora blinked up at the dark sky. "I just still can't believe this is all happening at all. If this were a normal school year we'd be getting ready for prom."

"Yeah," Musa said sadly. "I was working on a demo to submit to the DJ."

"Just forget about prom," Tecna snapped so suddenly that the other two looked at her in surprise. "This is what we're training to do, isn't it? And think about it, the fate of an entire realm, maybe the dimension is in our hands. This is much more meaningful than prom. This is history!"

Musa and Flora blinked in surprise at Tecna's impassioned speech, but not everyone was so moved by her words apparently because a group of girls from their grade looked over from where they were standing nearby.

"Who cares about making history if you're not around to tell about it?" a girl named Hortensia snapped. "We were supposed to be safe here. Saving the dimension wasn't supposed to be our responsibility for another two years." Her friends nodded in agreement, many casting worried looks at the dark sky overhead.

"We might never get another opportunity like this," Tecna countered. "We're the only thing standing between those monsters and realm-wide destruction."

"Tecna's right!" Her friend's enthusiasm swept through Musa and she leapt to her feet, Flora and Tecna following close behind. "There's more to being a fairy than cute outfits, and we don't suddenly become Guardian fairies when they hand us our diplomas. This is how we earn the honour of that title. We all have a part to play, and if we're going to save Magix then it's essential that we all work together." Musa's voice had grown louder, and by the end a crowd of fairies had formed around her to hear what she had to say; many of them were already nodding their heads in agreement. "Hortensia, you have the best counter spell skills. And Priscilla, no one can fly as fast as you can. And we all know Cyrenia's the fiercest on the battlefield. We need you, all of you."

"No one's gonna beat us," someone in the crowd yelled, and many more voices rose up in agreement.

"That's right!" Musa was yelling now, feeding off the energy off the crowd, whose faces were beginning to lose their tired and hopeless expressions, and were hardening with determination. "We're Alfea girls! We'll battle evil like all the fairies before us!"

Flora stepped up beside Musa. "Centuries of fairies built Alfea, and we're not gonna let _anyone_ tear it down!"

"What do you say girls?" Tecna called from Musa's other side.

"Bring it on!"

"Let's get 'em!"

"We've got this!"

"Let's show them what Alfea girls are made of!" Musa's final cheer set the girls off and they descended into whoops and applause, and the crowd broke apart, many hurrying off to pull their friend and the Red Fountain boys to their feet, running drills or going through battle formations.

Before either Flora, Musa, or Tecna could speak, Tecna's little handheld computer let out a shrill beep and she quickly withdrew it from her pocket.

"It's an email from Timmy. He wants to see me right away."

"What about?" Musa wanted to know.

But Tecna didn't seem to hear her, too busy mumbling to herself under her breath. "Oh, what would Stella say? How long should I wait to call? But I can't really wait two days to answer, right? Not with all this happening. I have to go see him." And with a decisive nod she hurried off, leaving Flora and Musa staring after her with open mouths.

Musa glanced at Flora. "What was _that_ about? Is something going on between those two."

"Timmy was working on some mathematical formula to calculate how big the Army of Decay is. Maybe he needs Tecna's help."

Musa arched an appraising eyebrow. "Well, I will say one thing; Timmy sure knows the way to Tecna's heart."

* * *

The Cloud Tower group edged nervously down one of the lower hallways of the castle, knowing that any minute now that the anti-detection spell Faragonda had cast on them was going to be put to the test. They'd successfully found a service entrance from the dump into the castle proper, but now they had to navigate their way over to the dungeons to rescue Griffin, and whatever teachers and students had been locked up with her.

Suddenly Knut stopped, and they could all see why, at the end of the hallway it opened out into a much wider and busier corridor, which was bustling with witches. It was going to be hard to navigate the corridor without bumping into any of the witches or furniture; the anti-detection spell kept them invisible and any noises they made muffled but as soon as anyone got even a hint that someone was concealed nearby the spell began to rapidly lose it's power.

Knut considered the situation for a moment before turning to eye the mirror mounted on the wall beside them. "I think," he grunted, feeling around the edge of the mirror with thick fingers. "Yes, there's a secret passage here." The mirror swung forward away from the wall. "It might take a bit longer, but it'll get us near the dungeons, and not many of the students know about it."

But Riven held out a hand to stop Knut from disappearing behind the mirror. He glanced at Sky and Brandon. "Didn't we learn something about mirror doors in Intro to Dark Magic?"

Sky looked troubled. "Yeah, they're likely to be traps."

"We could go the other way, I guess," Knut said, glancing uncertainty at the busy corridor up ahead.

Riven also looked and repressed a shudder. "Forget it, let's just go." He glanced at Brandon with a taunting smirk, gesturing for him to go ahead. "Ladies first, Brandon."

Brandon made a rude gesture back before stepping back to let Riven go before him. "But we all know it's really children who go first."

Stella rolled her eyes and shoved them both towards the secret passage, before slipping inside herself. Bloom cast a worried glance down the hallway but none of the witches seemed to notice the open mirror so she climbed in as well, Sky following, leaving Knut to bring up the rear and close the mirror door behind them.

They walked for some time through the secret passage which was just a dark corridor illuminated only by the torches they held in their hands. They were all on edge, expecting a monster of some kind to come looming out of the shadows at any moment and attack them. But none came and eventually they reached the end of the passage, this side covered with a large portrait of a previous headmistress.

"The dungeons are just down this way," Knut said, pointing to a steep staircase to their right.

But Bloom was rooted to the spot, staring in the opposite direction. For she felt something calling to her, something familiar, something that filled her with a rush of warmth, and made her think of burning fire.

"Bloom?" Stella asked when her friend took a step away from the staircase.

"There's something down there, I think- I think it's the Dragon Fire?"

The others exchanged wary glances. Of course they wanted Bloom to get her power back but it seemed all too easy that the Dragon Fire would be left somewhere where anyone could happen across it.

"What's down there, Knut?"

The ogre shrugged his hulking shoulders. "Just some old classrooms. I don't think they get used very often anymore."

"It's there, I know it is," Bloom whispered, taking another step.

"Why don't we split up," Sky suggested. "Bloom, Stella, and I will go check out the classrooms, while Knut you take Brandon and Riven to check out the dungeons and start working out how to get Professor Griffin out. We don't have too much more time."

Bloom hurried along the corridor, barely seeming to notice or care if the other two were following, trailing a hand along the closed classroom doors. Eventually she came to a set of double doors at the end of the hallway, their grand design suggesting they didn't lead to a classroom. The feeling had grown stronger the further down the hallway they'd progressed and now when Bloom reached out to touch the doors she swore she could feel the heat of the Dragon Fire beyond them.

"What do you think is behind the doors?" Bloom heard Stella whisper.

But she didn't care, she shoved the doors open and burst into a disappointingly empty stone room. Bloom's heart was sinking in her chest, but she walked further into the room, convinced that the bare room had to be hiding the flame somehow.

"Did you really think we'd let you get anywhere near the Dragon Fire?" The cold voice spoke from the doorway behind them, and Bloom, Stella, and Sky spun around to find the Trix smirking at them. "Did you _really_ think that you could break into Cloud Tower without us finding out? Even with that pathetic little anti-detection spell."

Stormy flicked her wrist and on either side of her Sky and Stella were thrown through the air, colliding painfully with the stone wall on the other side of the room, both crumpling to the floor. Bloom wanted to run to them to make sure they were okay, but her feet felt rooted to the spot.

"I'm going to get the Dragon Fire back," she said with a calmness she didn't feel. "It's my destiny to have it."

Icy let out a cackle of laughter, while Darcy and Stormy tittered on either side of her. "That's not your destiny. Your destiny is to be locked away, powerless and alone, forever. That is," Icy continued, smirk growing meaner. "If we let you walk out of here at all."

Bloom gritted her teeth against the fear that was rising up within her. Stella and Sky were still struggling to get back to their feet, and without her powers, Bloom knew she didn't stand a chance against them on her own.

But before Bloom had to work out what to say or do, the Trix were hit square in the back with a green energy blast that threw them halfway across the room. In their place stood the haughty Professor Griffin, backed up by Brandon, Riven, Knut, and a bunch of her students wearing travelling cloaks, looking most impressed at the sight of the Trix sprawled out on the ground.

"I suggest you take that as a warning," Griffin said calmly, her dark eyes narrowed dangerously at her ex-students.

"We're not scared of you," Icy said, glaring up at Griffin, but Bloom noticed that she hadn't made a move to get up quite yet. "We're not your students anymore. And we're more powerful than you'll ever be."

" _You_ are a bunch of overpowered high school dropouts with no idea how to use the powers you've got." She looked away from them dismissively, and looked to the students. "I'll contain them while we go back to Alfea and regroup. Everyone prepare to leave."

Bloom hesitated, but only for a moment. Looking into Griffin's eyes she could see what the headmistress wasn't saying out loud; the Trix might be down for the moment but they wouldn't stay that way for much longer. One of the cloud tower witches, a senior by the looks of it, began ushering them out of the room, and Bloom only waited while Brandon and Riven went to help Stella and Sky up before following them out.

The Trix had begun to hurl insults at Griffin, still not daring to attack her after the display of power she'd just shown, but the headmistress ignored them, hands glowing green, as she summoned a translucent purple shield that stretched across the room.

"What do you think you're doing?" Icy snarled. She hurled an energy blast at the shield but that only seemed to make it thicker.

"What is that?" Bloom asked when Griffin joined them out in the hallway.

"It's a shield that increases in strength whenever you attack it. Eventually it will be overwhelmed by the power of the Dragon Fire but it should hold until we get out of here. I need to join forces with Faragonda and Saladin, it's the only hope we have left."

Griffin slammed the doors shut, and great stone spikes burst from the walls, floor, and ceiling, driving into the opposite space and overlapping until the doors were no longer visible.

"Let's go," Griffin barked.

The headmistress hurried them along the hallway, calling to one of the teachers she could see up ahead.

"Zarathustra! Make an announcement, all students need to assemble on the uppermost terrace!"

"Yes, Headmistress!" Zarathustra dashed away, and a moment later they heard the announcement echo throughout the school.

As they hurried up staircase after staircase, the senior witch Bloom recognised from before caught up to Griffin.

"This is for you, Headmistress," she said, pushing a wad of red fabric into Griffin's hands. "It's the fashion club's survival cloak. It'll protect you."

Bloom glanced in surprise at the witch, shocked even further when she saw Griffin's face soften as she said, "Thank you, dear," and swung the cloak over her shoulders. She caught Bloom looking and arched an eyebrow at her. "Surprising, isn't it? That us evil witches might actually care for one another."

Bloom reddened but had nothing to say in response, so she just looked away and continued up the stairs beside Griffin in silence. When they finally reached the terrace it was to find it crowded with witches, with more still crammed into the staircases that lead to it. Griffin immediately met up with Zarathustra and Ediltrude.

"Did you do a headcount?"

"Yes, Professor Griffin."

Griffin glanced around and dropped her voice lower. "Did any of them stay to stand with the Trix."

Ediltrude smirked. "None, Headmistress."

Griffin sighed a breath of relief. "Good." She straightened and gestured for more teachers to join them. "Quickly! We need to conjure the Vorpal Tunnel!"

* * *

Down in the bowels of the castle, Icy paced the length of the barrier, striking out at it with every attack spell she had in her arsenal. But nothing was working.

"I hate them!" she screamed, unleashing a wave of icy daggers at the wall. They embedded themselves in the barrier but otherwise didn't have an effect.

"I hate Griffin the most," Stormy scowled.

"Not me," Darcy said. "I hate Bloom. Followed by Stella. _Then_ Griffin."

Darcy shivered delicately as Icy tried to explode the barrier with ice.

"Hey genius," she snapped. "This isn't working."

"Then what do you suggest?" Icy hissed, turning on her.

Darcy glared at her. "I suggest giving up trying to break that barrier. We might not be able to get out there, but we do have an entire army that's sitting waiting for our command."

A slow, devious smile unfurled across Icy's face. "Very clever. Let's leave them a little parting gift, shall we?"

* * *

Bloom stood on the edge of the terrace, unable to help shifting from foot to foot nervously. The Vorpal Tunnel had been conjured, a portal that emerged from the clouds, not unlike the beams of a UFO in earth movies, that lifted students into the air where they disappeared, and were transported to Alfea. But it was slow going, only a few witches could step into the tunnel at a time and Cloud Tower had hundreds of students. Then looking down over the edge, Bloom saw something that made her blood run cold.

"Professor Griffin!"

The witch hurried over and Bloom pointed out the decay monsters that were lined up at the front door of the castle. She had a very bad feeling she knew exactly where they were heading. Griffin looked over her shoulder at the students still waiting to use the tunnel; they'd managed to clear the staircases, but the terrace was still packed.

"Quickly girls!"

"We're not going to make it," Sky muttered, watching as the monsters disappeared inside. "We're not going to be able to close the tunnel before they get to us. Then-"

"They'll have a direct path to Alfea."

Bloom met Sky's gaze, seeing the horror she felt reflected there. Then Sky looked away and towards Griffin.

"I'll stay."

"No!" Bloom hadn't even realised she'd spoken until Stella glanced at her, but luckily she was distracted by Brandon the next second.

"What? No! If anyone's staying it'll be me."

"Or me," Riven argued. "I got myself into this mess with the witches, it should be me who stays and fixes it."

Sky ignored them both and looked squarely at Griffin. "I'll do it."

Griffin looked at him for a long time before nodding. "What do you need?"

"I don't suppose you could get me a leva-bike?"

Griffin nodded again, eyes closing, and hands glowing green. Bloom meanwhile felt as though the situation had spun rapidly out of her control.

"This is crazy. No one should be staying."

"Bloom," Sky said evenly. "If those monsters get into the portal, they'll have a direct route to Alfea, and that could be it for us."

A sleek leva-bike appeared beside Sky, but he waited until Bloom conceded the point with a nod to swing his leg over it. As soon as he fitted his foot into the footrest, metallic armour appeared over his boot expanding rapidly up his body until it covered him to the neck. A grey helmet appeared on his head the next instant, shielding his face from view.

Neither Brandon, Riven, Bloom or Stella looked completely comfortable with the situation but they were rapidly losing the time to argue. The last Cloud Tower students had stepped into the tunnel, and now it was their turn. But while the others stepped away, Bloom stepped closer and grabbed Sky's arm, confused to find herself wishing she could see his eyes.

"Hold on, I'm coming with you."

Bloom heard Stella yelp her name in surprise, but Sky just offered a steadying hand to help her on. She took it and climbed up onto the bike behind him, glancing over at the others with what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry," she said, as the same sleek armour covered her body. "We've got this." A helmet appeared over her head, and everything became tinted a little darker.

Riven was the first to move, nodding stoically. "Good luck, bro," he said, and nodded at Bloom before stepping into the tunnel.

"Stay safe," Brandon said, touching first Sky's shoulder, then Bloom's.

"I'll see you back at Alfea, okay?" And it sounded more like a threat than a promise coming out of Stella's mouth.

The pair of them ran to the tunnel, Cloud Tower teachers hurrying after them. Bloom realised the reason for their haste; monsters were now spilling out from the staircases and lumbering towards the portal. Sky clicked a button and the bike thrummed to life, and he quickly steered it towards the monsters, kicking out with his legs to keep them away, some even falling over the edge of the terrace. They rode in circles around the portal while Griffin stepped into it, and then as she rose she turned in mid-air, to look down on them, nodding once, before disappearing, the portal closing behind her. They were well and truly alone now.

"Let's get out of here," Bloom said. Their helmets had linked up so they could hear each other perfectly.

"Good plan." Sky looked nervously at the monsters still on the terrace, who, now that the portal had disappeared, looked much more interested in them. "Hold on tight, Bloom."

Sky turned the bike sharply and headed for one of the staircases that lead not back into the castle but to an outdoor walkway that went all the way to the road outside of the castle. The initial set of stairs were bumpy, but it was smoother after that, the only thing they had to worry about was the lack of railings, and the monsters chasing after them.

They rode it all the way to the ground, past the monsters stationed outside, and hurtled onto the forest road that would lead them the quickest way around the lake and towards Alfea. Bloom, wrapped around Sky as she was, felt him breathe a sigh of relief, as Cloud Tower and the monsters disappeared behind them, and trees took over the view.

But she was far from feeling comfortable, especially at the speed they were going. "Are you sure we can go this fast?" The hair that wasn't tucked under the helmet was streaming out behind her, and it felt like the wind was wrenching at the arms she had wrapped tightly around Sky's waist.

"No! But I want to be sure they don't catch up to us. Even going this fast it'll take us a while to get back-" Sky broke off and swore bitterly.

Bloom peeked over her shoulder and fought the urge to swear herself. Somehow, some of the decay monsters had managed to get around them, and had barricaded the road up ahead. Sky pulled up sharply, and started back the way they'd come, pushing the bike even faster than he had before. Soon enough they got back to Cloud Tower and zipped past it. But it was clear something else had gone wrong, because a strike of lightning slammed into the road right in front of them. It was all Sky could do to jerk the bike to the side and dodge it.

"What was that?!"

"I think we hit one of the Cloud Tower defense systems."

More lightning strikes peppered the ground where they were riding, and Sky was forced to zig-zag across the road, trying to avoid the lightning without losing control of the bike. Finally Sky couldn't avoid one completely and the front of the bike got hit, a shudder passing through the vehicle.

"That's not good! Should we stop?"

Sky swore again and started jabbing buttons on the control panel. "It won't let me. It's stopped responding. There's a hairpin turn coming up, Bloom. Hold on tight."

They were going much faster than was safe for such a sharp turn but there wasn't a lot they could do about it with the bike not responding to Sky's commands. They charged around the corner but as Sky had feared they were going much too fast and spun out of control, crashing over the guardrail, and tumbling over the small cliff beyond. They were both thrown from the bike, but luckily the drop wasn't too deep, and they crashed through the trees and slammed into the ground without enduring too much damage.

Sky coughed and dragged himself to his feet, hurrying over to where Bloom lay sprawled nearby the smoking heap of the bike. He yanked her helmet free, and she blinked up at him, looking a little dazed but managing a smile.

"Ouch?" she said weakly.

Just glad she was okay, Sky held out a hand and helped her up.

* * *

Timmy and Tecna sat side by side in one of the Red Fountain spaceships parked out the back of the Alfea grounds. Normally, Timmy would use his computer back at his dorm for equations like this but he hadn't had a chance to pick it up before he left, so the Red Fountain crafts were the closest to the set up he was used to. They sat in silence, watching as the numbers ran through on one of the ship's screens.

"Don't be worried, Tecna," he said to fill the silence. "It's the first time we've used this equation. The numbers could be off. Not," he added hastily, when Tecna didn't respond. "That I'm underestimating your mathematical skills, I have nothing but confidence in you."

"Anyone can make a mistake," Tecna said reasonably. "Which is why I double checked them. And then I triple checked them. Is the computer finished working out the equation?"

Timmy adjusted his glasses and leaned closer. What he saw made him gasp so loudly that Tecna scrambled out of her seat to see what the results were.

"Tecna," Timmy said quietly. "If we got this right, then the witches will be attacking Alfea with an army that's, for lack of a better word, big."

Tecna's mouth worked silently as she struggled to comprehend what the computer was telling her. "Timmy, the Army of Decay isn't just big, it's bigger than anything we could've imagined!" She shook her head, before grabbing Timmy by the hand and hauling him out of there. "Professor Faragonda and Professor Saladin need to be alerted immediately!"

* * *

 **So as you might have realised I combined two episode into one chapter; someone left a comment noting how much wandering around there is in episodes 22 and 23, and when I rewatched them I realised they were right and so much could be cut down to make one slightly longer chapter. But that being said I'm not 100% happy with this chapter, the pacing seems kind of off to me but idk if that's because of squishing the two episodes together, idk tell me what you think.**

 **Also slight continuity error but I said Riven was in a hoodie in the last chapter, but for obvious reasons I had to put him in his uniform so he could use his cape. So sorry about that.**

 **Anyway I think that's about it, as always thanks to everyone who reads, leaves kudos, or comments. I love you all xx**


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